Brave Youth
by Prophe-Cass
Summary: The Universe is at peace, and so the Paladins return home. Unfortunately, the evil witch Haggar is still out there, planning a comeback. It's up to the Children of the Former Paladins to uncover the truth, and relive the Legend. AUo Staring Finn as the hero, Laura and Shon as the twins, Hasher as the nerd, and Kitty as the helpless cheerful one.
1. Prologue

The Blue Lion's particle barrier whizzed up, it's eyes dulling as it powered down.

The white haired woman sighed, leaning onto her husband's shoulder as she closed her eyes.

"You know it's for the best." The man cooed, squeezing her shoulders.

"Finn will finally have a normal life." The woman whispered, planting one hand over her stomach.

"Yes. Yes he will." He echoed, resting his free hand over her's. "I'm so very proud of you."

"Yes. I know." She whispered, closing her eyes. "Now…we already took care of the Red Lion; all that's left is for us to seal the entrance to this cave.

"Of course." He nodded, smiling down at her.

"Do you think…do you think the others are done yet?"

"We're all going to meet up and Keith's once we're done, do we might as well head over there now. Krolia will seal it up later."

"Right."

The couple started out of the cave, the woman, who was heavily pregnant, leaning on her husband, her face drawn into a tight bunch. "Do you really think this was the right course of action."

"The…the universe is a peace. Our work is done. Finn and everyone else don't need to have that worry hovering over their heads."

"Ha-Haggar's still out there…" the woman reminded him, staring at her toes.

"I know." He nodded, dipping his head. "I know."

"Oh, Lance…what if she attacks, and we don't hear about it for a few years?!"

"Listen to me." Lance grabbed her shoulders, tilting his head at her. "There's always that risk. But then again, we, on Earth, didn't hear about Zarkon attacking for ten thousand years! And now we have allies! They can communicate to us through the emergency transmitter if anything comes up."

She nodded, and only then did he pull away. "I love you, Lance…"

"I love you, too, Allura."

* * *

Thirteen years later;

"Shon! Hurry up!" The youth waved the older boy on, his face alight with warmth. "Let's go already!"

"Okay, okay! But next time YOU'RE lugging the backpack." Shon laughed, pulling himself up to his best friend. They stared at the sun, which was setting, and seated themselves on the smooth, rocky cliff.

"It's so far…" the white-haired boy mused, staring out across the vastness. "I want to explore every single rock, every drop of water, every inch!"

"When I grow up," Shon sprang to his feet, smiling at the sky. "I'm going to travel to worlds even farther then my DAD had traveled! I'm going to go and find alien life beyond our galaxy!"

"That would be awesome." The blue eyed child smiled, flipping onto his back. "I would love to go to my mother's home planet."

"Unfortunately we don't have the skills necessary." Shon pouted, leaning into his fist as he sat down again. "If only Voltron were here."

"Voltron?!" The younger boy cracked up, bending over. "That's only a child's tale!"

"My parents say it might be true!" Shon defended himself. "And my mom is the smartest woman in the galaxy!"

"And my mom is the most practical. She says it would need something MAGICAL to work, and we all know magic isn't real."

"If your white hair is magical, I don't know what is." Shon joked, giving his friend's hair a quick yank.

"Ouch!" The boy tried to smooth down his hair, scowling. "I have to be at the recording studio by five tomorrow night, and I don't want my hair more messed up then it already is. Besides, Mom has the same hair! Dad says that it means I'm meant for something special."

Shon groaned, face palming. "You're all creeps."

"What about your Dad, huh?!"

"He-!" Shon shook his head. "He's old, Finn. He can have white hair."

Finn snorted, crossing his arms. "Well, one day, I'm going to find out WHY I have white hair, and I'm going to prove to you magic isn't real."

An offended rumble sounded beneath them, and they both sprang up in surprise.

"What was that?!" Finn screeched, wrapping his hands tightly around Shon.

"Hot Bilgin' WAFFLES!" Shon screeched, hugging his friend back as they both looked down doubtfully.

"Musta' just been a Earthquake." Finn decided.

"In Tuscon? Forget about it! I'll ask Mom!" Shon nodded, heading down the cliff.

"Hey! Whatever happened to camping out here tonight?!"

"Right!" Shon screeched to a halt, heading back up the hill. "Okay. We'll camp here for the night. Then, as soon as we get home, I'm asking Mom."

Neither of them realized that this one Earthquake would turn out to be their futures.

* * *

 **Author's Note;**

 **Hey! So my good friend on Wattpad, DemonicLions showed interest to a sequel that I never really wanted to do for Discoveries. So this is basically a mashup of Discoveries and season 6.**

 **also, my apologies. I looked up cities in Arizona, and Tuscon looked like it was in a desert-y area. I know literally nothing about the town. For all I know, it could be a real-life Gravity Falls, or Beach City, or even Willow Falls.**

 **Any theories that you have?! Please comment! I'm open to hearing your guy's predictions.**


	2. Chapter 1

"Lauraaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The fourteen year old girl paused from cutting carrots and turned towards the door, opening it just as her brother tumbled in, his eyes sparkling. From delight or fear, Laura couldn't tell. The kid was the most kind, lovable person she knew, yet was easily freaked out. Heck, a SPIDER scared him. A shrimpy spider that you could easily step on!

"What is it this time?!" Laura asked, crossing her arms as she closed the door with her foot. "You're also home early from your 'camping' trip with Mr. Lover-boy."

"There was an Earthquake!"

"Here, in Tuscon, Arizona?" Laura rolled her eyes, flipping her black hair over her shoulder.

"Yes!" Shon grabbed her shoulders, shaking her violently. "It happened around seven last night! And then again this morning when we were packing up! It rocked the entire cliff!"

"Dude." Laura huffed, pulling away. "Your hands are grimy with sweat. For the sake of your life, get off of me. Take deep breaths, okay?"

Shon nodded, taking a seat and breathing in and out, quivering.

"Okay. I'm making mashed potatoes for dinner, got it?"

"Potatoes?" Shon perked up, glancing at the carrots. "YIPEEE! Wait…you hate potatoes. Are you going…out with HASHEEEEEER?!"

"No." Laura snapped, then, reddening slightly, admitted, "Well, it's not exactly a date; he's just taking me out to meet his family."

"Worst. Date. Ever." Shon huffed, opening the fridge as he glanced at some snack to eat. "His Dad like, runs the whole school."

"Gym. Not school."

"Tomato tamoto. Same thing."

"No, it's really not…"

"When's he picking you up?"

"Soon." Laura cast a glance at the potatoes, frowning. "Shon, in three minutes, will you take the potatoes off of the oven and blend them with the mixer? Mom's working late tonight and Dad'll be tired from Galaxy-defending stuff."

"No problemo." Shon assured her, making the okay-symbol. "I'll make sure not to drill off my finger."

After a moment's hesitation, they said together, "Again." as Shon wiggled a prosthetic finger.

"It tasted salty that night." Shon recalled, a look of disgust flooding his features. "I definitely will NOT do that ever again."

"Okay, thanks, twirp." Laura grinned, messing up his hair.

"Wait, wait…you aren't wearing THAT to go to his house, are you?" Shon asked, looking her up and down.

Laura glanced curiously at her over-sized sweats and jacket, blinking at him. "Yeah. Why?"

"Mom should take you out clothes shopping."

"She hates that stuff. Besides, she's too busy getting ready for her dinner with the president tomorrow, remember?"

"Dad?"

Laura simply rolled her eyes, smirking. "As if YOU'RE one to talk." She tapped his red, yellow, and white jacket, shrugging at his sleeves that were too long for his arms. The rest of the jacket ended at his thighs, but he didn't understand that it was supposed to end at his waist.

Laura glanced out the window. She spotted a red hover bike pull up beside the house, and she smiled softly. "That'd be my cue. Promise not to blow up the house?"

"I'll leave that catastrophe up to Mom." Shon joked, waving. "See you later. And get some dressy clothes!"

"Yeah, yeah. See ya later!" Laura shook her head, disappearing out the door.

Shon watched her leave, peering out the window.

Hasher treated her just as he should, like she was a lady, one to be respected, but he didn't help her up; she would have slapped his hand away instantly. Laura was a warrior; she trained every day so that one day she could head the Galaxy Garrison's police force, just like their father.

Shon smiled slightly, setting the timer on the stove. Laura was WAY too young to have a boyfriend, and although he wasn't EXACTLY a boyfriend, Shon still classified him as one. It was his duty to protect his sister, even though she could take on the coach and come away without a broken limb. Especially if she activated her 'secret' weapon that she discovered she could summon. It was shaped kind of like a 'I' or 'H' and had black and white features, and could turn into practically any weapon she imagined. Shon had the same thing, except with RED and white, and it could turn into boomerangs that came back to him when he wanted them to. He could also control them by either pointing at the target or waving his hand towards the target.

Laura's weapon freaked the coach out, and Shon wasn't sure if he had seen the Red I/H.

The timer on the oven beeped, and Shon jumped a few feet into the air, hastily turning off the stove. He glanced out the window again, disappointed when he didn't see his father's hover bike come into the drive way. Shon moved the mashed potatoes onto a hot pad on the counter and grabbed some milk from the fridge, and a blender.

Shon spotted something out of the corner of his eye; the speeder pulling up beside the house with his father driving it.

"Dad!" Shon whispered, heading to the door to open it for his father. The mashed potatoes could wait.

As his father walked in, Shon greeted him, waving his hand excitedly. "Hey, Dad!"

His dad gave him a tired smile, ruffling his hair. "Hey, Shon. How was your camping trip?"

"There was an Earthquake." Shon frowned. "Other then that, though, it was fun."

"Earthquake? Here? In Tuscon?" His father snorted, pulling his bag off of his shoulders.

"Yeah!" Shon hurried after him. "He heard it to! Promise!"

"'He'…?" His father blinked, hanging the satchel bag on the wall. "Oh. Your friend. What's his name again?"

"Finn."

"Finn, huh?" His father paused, staring into nothingness.

"Dad?" Shon took him by his arm, shaking him. "Stop doing that, it makes me worry about you!"

"S-sorry." His father shook his head, smiling gingerly. "It happens sometimes. A little sickness I have." He pulled off his hat and pressed it on Shon's hair, laughing. "Where's your mother?"

"She's in her office, I think." Shon shrugged, pulling the hat more tightly around his head.

"Thank you, Shon." His father nodded. "And where's Laura?"

"She just left to meet her friend, Hasher's, family." Shon told him.

"Hasher?" His dad's eyebrows knotted together, and he let out a hiss of annoyance, heading for the office.

Shon stared after him, worry squeezing in his chest. His father usually didn't act like that! He wondered what was wrong.

* * *

 **Author's Note; I plan to update every Wednesday and Saturday, but I am going on hiatus from the 23rd to the 30th, so yeah.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the long wait!**

* * *

"Mom!" Finn closed the door behind him, calling loudly into the house. "I'm home!"

His younger brother raised his head form his 3D DS and waved. "Finn! How was your camping trip? Can I go next time?"

"Vince, my man!" Finn chuckled, leaning against the table. "It was freat; and, if Shon's okay with it, I am, too!"

"Great! When will you next be camping?"

"I dunno. Slow down. I still have to help Kitty in the bakery next week, so we can't go camping then. Where's Mom?"

"I think she's putting Larmina down for a nap." Vince shrugged, returning to his game. "Look, Finn, I've almost defeated these Fire Bros!"

Finn stole a glance over his brother's shoulder. "Huh. Nice."

Vince grinned and continued playing, and Finn headed upstairs, tossing his small satchel bag to one side as he relaxed into his large, blue, leather chair.

Listening carefully, he waited until he heard his mother close the door to Larmina's bedroom before heading out of his room.

"Mom!" He greeted her, tossing himself at her.

"Finn!" His mother laughed, hugging him as her short, soft curls bent around his head. "Welcome home! Now, put on some deodorant, and hope into the car.! Your father is already at the movie studio; he needs a ton of work to get him ready for his role."

Finn nodded, chuckling lightly. "Meanwhile, I get to go late because they only need to die my hair."

"You CAN shapeshift into a taller version of yourself!" His mother agreed, pulling away. Then, she pivoted, calling down to the living room. "Vince! You're in charge when I take Finn out, okay?"

"Yeah! Got it! Can I keep on playing, though?"

Their mother put on a fake angry face and growled. "Rrrrr…ugh! Fine! Just make sure to pay attention to your surroundings. It's nobody in, nobody out until I get back!"

"How long will you be gone?"

"Ten minutes, at least." She hummed, checking the clock. "Larmina's supposed to be asleep, but if she wakes up, just put her back down and tell her to stay there. I'll be back soon, and-" she paused as she saw Finn come out of his room again, and smiled. "Ready to go?"

Finn nodded.

Their mom turned back to Vince, still not done with her commands. "When the timer beeps, turn the spaghetti onto low and stir constantly!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Vince agreed, before letting out a whoop of triumph. "Take that, Bowser!" he screamed at the device in hand.

"See you soon!" Their mother kissed the top of Vince's head. "Head out to the car, Finn. I'll just grab my keys and purse." She also put on a pink sweater before heading out, stepping into the car. Adjusting the mirror on the front of the Prius, she blinked at Finn. "How was camping?"

"Um…mostly good. There was an earthquake, so that was weird."

"An earthquake?" She snorted, shaking her head. "Finn, I though I taught you that lying is wrong."

"Shon heard it, as well!" Finn protested, offended that he was being accused of LYING, of all the fiendish things he could commit!

"I don't know what kind of family this 'Shon' grew up in. I'm worried about the influence he's making on you,:

"No! They're a good family. I met his sister, who's kina cute!"

"'Cute' doesn't mean they're to be trusted." She warned, stopping at a red light. "Your father learned that the hard way. I'm just warning you to be careful."

"I swear, there was an Earthquake." Finn pouted, sinking lower into his chair uncomfortably.

"We'll see." She whispered.

The two rode along in the car silently, the older woman casting her son unsure glances as he played with his seatbelt.

"So." She finally broke the silence, stopping as a train thundered past to apply lipstick. "What do you want for your birthday?"

"That's a month out."

"Doesn't mean I can't ask."

"I put my list on the computer under 'Finn's 13th birthday list'."

"Okay. Thank you." She gestured at the tall building to their right, smiling at him. "Well, we're here. See you later sweetie!"

"Bye, Mom." Finn responded, slinging the backpack stuffed with his costume inside over his shoulder.

He found his way to his father's dressing room, sitting down as his father got his makeup smothered on. The process was nearly done, and, by the time his dad realized that Finn had entered, he bore the finished style.

"King Lubos greets you!" He thundered, turning around so Finn could see his entire body.

"Gaah! Dad, you're…FAT!" Finn gapped, pointing.

His father indeed, did look fat. His normally petite form was five times it's usual size, and he now bore two antennas, and just looked exactly like a royal Okari in every way.

"Yeah, well, this is going to be…" He paused for dramatic effect. "'Voltron; The Tale of Olkarion'! I'm playing King Lubos, the gluttonous antagonist, while you're playing the dashing hero of the script, the Blue Paladin!"

"DAD." Finn groaned. "I know what this movie is about. I also know who you are. You just look…fat. Technically, the Green Paladin is the hero. Not the Blue Paladin. And, also, Voltron is fake. Stop acting like it's real."

"Can you shapeshift to… this height?" The makeup director, who also happened to be an Okari, gestured to a spot right below her neck. "The Blue Paladin was about that height when they saved us."

"No!" Finn protested as he shapeshifted to the proper height. "They're FALSE. Those were just loony guys dressed up in costumes who saved you! They weren't actually part of the Voltron Force, I'm sure!"

"Voltron is real! They saved the entire planet." His father assured him. "Your mother doesn't like mentioning it because she's a women of the 'now'. She hates dwelling in the past."

"If I may," the Olkarion interrupted. If Finn remember correctly, her names was Linna, or something. "The Voltron Paladins saved my entire civilization. I was only a girl, but I witnessed them save us all from Commander Xilves's rule and Lubos's treachery. This movie is going to honor that memory."

"Yeah, well, where's Voltron now?!" Finn demanded. "The Lions couldn't have just disappeared!"

"No one knows WHERE they went." His father's voice lowered, like he was telling a secret. "They really did disappear, the Green Lion quiet literally, before you were born, Finn, and the Paladins went into hiding. It's a mystery where they are."

"Most think that the Paladins are still on Earth." Linna told him. "But, with the help of the government, disappeared into the throngs of people. Nobody knows for certain, though."

"Well, I still don't think that they exist." Finn snorted, letting Linna settle him into a chair and lean his head into a sink.

His father looked away, picking up a magazine while his son's hair got died. He looked…troubled. But over what, Finn wasn't sure.


	4. Chapter 3

Ah, Tuscon, Arizona…the place for leisure, family, and taking 'er easy. Unless if you're me.

I'm the purple guy who's scrambling to grab his glasses as they fly around the cockpit. The girl sitting next to me ready to puke is the insane girl I just met, Kitty. The woman who looks board with the whole thing is my best friend, Laura. The two boys with white hair who are crying are Finn and his younger brother, Vince. Finn is the one at the helm, the boy who looks just about ready to cry is Laura's brother, Shon.

You're probably wondering why we're in a flying, mechanical, blue lion while being chased by a bigger black lion though space. Rest assured, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.

* * *

My name is Hasher Flare Kogane, and I was born in Dallas, Texas. When I was two, my father decided to move into his childhood house in Tuscon, Arizona.

My mother passed away from mysterious causes when I was four, and nearly took my little sister along with her. Luckily, the doctors were able to save her, though part of her brain, quote-unquote, 'died'. She's basically stuck with the mind of a four-year old, and is staying at a rehab center until Dad decides that he wants to have her at home or until I get my own house. Then I'll basically 'adopt' her.

My father blamed himself for Mom's death, and dealt with his anger in the only possible way; torturing kids. Okay, okay. I'm over reacting. He got a job as a gym coach at an Elementary School and deals with kids from the grades of 3rd to 8th. He's, like, a legend, but not in a good way. He's found a way to exercise people, yet have them be in deep pain at the same time. By the end of the year, kids would run marathons just to cool off. (Again, I'm over reacting. But not by much.)

Anyway, kids hate me because of my heritage, being part Galra and all. Unfortunately, I look like a Galra, save two tiny green marks underneath my eyes that come from my Altean side.

So I suppose having the toughest kid in school as my best friend changed all that…here's where I suppose the most interesting part of my story begins.

* * *

It was an ordinary day, a weekend. It was Sunday, and Dad and I had already been to church. Dad mentioned something about Grandma, but I hadn't really paid any attention. My mind was on a girl with straight, black hair, brown bangs glistening in the sunlight. Her black outfit shimmering in a majestic light, her brown eyes closed as she let out a beautiful sounding laugh…

"-sher. Hasher!" Dad slammed his hand down on the table, startling me. "Wake up! Stop daydreaming about-!"

'Laura…' I thought romantically.

"-science! The dishes won't get clean themselves."

"Right, yeah, sorry." I busily finished washing the dishes(HAND-washing, mind you)and clapped my hands together in completion. "Hey, Dad, do you think I can clean up my room in five hours?"

Dad shook his head in disbelief. "Sorry, Hash. There is no possible way you could be done before Sunday."

"Today is Sunday."

"I'm talking about next Sunday." Dad snorted, taking out his broom to sweep everything up. He hated the dust, which confused me, we lived in the middle of a desert! Well, not in the MIDDLE, per say. But a few miles outside of town borders. As far as the government knew, this house doesn't even exist!

I decided to at least TRY to clean my room, sweeping a path way from my bed to my desk, to the door. Then I cleared the area around the Shirogane Productions training robot, designed by my hero and role model, Katlyn Shirogane. I know Laura would like it; she was just that kind of woman.

I turned on the news of my television, staring at it as the played the newest announcements.

"-der control. In other news, Officer Keaton just saved a burning building of-" the TV cut to static. I inched over, about to see what went wrong this time, when a hazy message broke through. "-aladins -f V-on. Ha-r -s att-ki-pla-t Pu-g. Yo- as-s-ce is -uir-d." I blinked, trying to see if I could manage to replay the message in a clearer tone, when it turned back to my normal channel.

"-ust received word that we are receiving technical difficulties across the world. Hmm? Oh, thank you, John. It appears it has cleared up. While our engineers around the world try to find out what caused that strange interference, we will continue with our news. The-"

I turned off the television, unwilling to listen further. What was the strange interference?

"Hasher!" Dad called up the stairs. "You know that communicator I asked you to keep track of? I need it! Desperately!"

"When did you ask me about it?"

"A few years ago, I think."

"I don't remember you asking me to keep track of it! It's one of three things by now, thrown away, disassembled, or lost forever." Hasher responded.

"Check in that box where you keep special things. I really, really need it."

I rushed over to a tiny box on my bed, digging through it. I discovered a sock that I belonged to my Mom, my sister's first baby tooth, glasses, a few dozen photos of Laura, and a white and blue rectangular thing. I would have to look at that closer, later. "Nope! Not in here! Sorry."

"Are you positive? It's white, and blue, and grey!"

I looked again. I saw the little thingy. It matched Dad's description perfectly, but there was no way it was a communicator. "Nope. Not in here." I called down. "Sorry."

"Loose things." Dad grumbled. "Just like your mother."

"Not my fault I inherited the bad part of her gene!" I called back.

"Stop eavesdropping on everything I whisper!"

"Not my fault my ears are big like a kola's and have two eardrums!"

"It's my dang mother's fault!" Dad shouted up the stairs.

"Yeah!" I glanced at the time. "Yipe! Remember how I said I was bringing over a friend for dinner?" I asked, charging down the stairs.

"Yeah?" Dad asked, sidestepping.

"Well, I have to pick her up, bye!" I said, and was gone.

* * *

So, my friends, so ends the first part of my story. It's not the end…it's just the beginning.


	5. Chapter 4

Laura jabbed at the drone Hasher had in his room, swinging a punch at its left. It reacted slightly too late, and her hand hit the knockout area.

"Drone defeated! Do you wish to duel again?"

"Drone off." Laura said, waving it to a close.

"Shirogane productions are so amazing." Hasher told her. "I would give up anything to meet the woman who made that robot.

"Oh, yeah?" Laura was only half-listening, unaware who exactly he was talking about.

"Yeah. She actually moved to this town just a few weeks ago, around the same time you did." Hasher sighed. "Oh, she's amazing. She had two children and is married to the guy who has the biggest work-ethic in the Galaxy."

"Oh, wait…" Laura mused, fiddling with the boxing gloves as she tried to pull them on. "They're supposed to go on this way…"

"I mean, she's so amazing! I based all of my own creations off of her tech. I would love to shake her hand, tell her what an amazing scientist she is…if I could do that ONE thing, I would never want to do anything ever again."

"Ah, like this…" Laura smiled as the gloves finally slid into place.

"Well, that's a lie, I would still love to work, I guess meeting her would just encourage me to build more, but…"

"Begin training level seven." Laura ordered.

"I heard that she was the second human to reverse engineer alien tech, the first being her father. Nobody has done it as well as she has, though."

Laura sent a well placed kick on the robot's center, and it shut off, probably needing to charge.

"What the quiznak! Are you even listening?!" Hasher asked, arching a purple eyebrow.

That was the strange thing about Hasher. He was only a quarter Galra, but he looked as if he was completely one, save the fact that he had two Altean, green marks underneath his eyes, hidden mostly by the shadow of his glasses.

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah. Scientist. Amazing. Hand. Lie. Encouraged. Tech. Quiznak." Laura waved him off.

"What is the scientist's name? Hasher demanded. "I still don't think you were listening."

"Dunno. Began with a 'shhhh' sound."

"Sh-ee-ro-ga-nnn."

"Shirogane? Oh. Yeah. Whatever. I'm not really a science-y person." Laura grunted, frowning. "But my Mom, who you were talking about, is."

"You're mom's Professor Shirogane?! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"I didn't realize you were such a nerd." Laura told him, tossing the gloves off to side. "Besides, I thought that you could tell from my last name."

"What's your full name, again?"

"Laura Krolia Shirogane."

"Krolia is my Grandmother's name."

"It's an alien name." Laura told him. "So it makes sense. My brother, I think, is jealous because he doesn't have an alien name and he says that, quote-unquote, 'they just sound so much cooler. Vrek?! Krolia?! Kolivan?! Who comes up with these?!' Now you know my pain, Hasher."

"Hasher means server or waiter down here, but, in Altean, it actual means 'Child of the Stars'. I guess it's because my heritage is mostly from space."

"Yeah. Maybe." Laura hummed, plugging in the robot to let it charge.

"3% charged. Beginning 3.0000000000001 sequence. Sequence 3.0000000000001 completed." The robot said to nobody in particular. "Beginning 3.0000000000002 sequence." Laura hit the mute button. "Man, that guy gets on my nerves."

"What's it like, being the offspring of the greatest mind on the planet and the best physically-built man on the planet?!" Hasher asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"Stressful. You ALWAYS have to live up to BOTH of them. Become LIKE them. If you're not the perfect mix of the two, people judge you. It's hard being the child who gets the least attention. Mom and Dad always baby him, and I don't know why! Boys are supposed to be the superior, strong ones, but he's always been weaker… They spend all their time trying to make sure he's comfortable and pampered, treating him as if he is a little bulb of sunshine. But…it's hard, y'know? What's it like being the child of an emotionally-unstable hybrid and one of the few Alteans left in existence since the colony got blown up?"

"Um. Strange. Lonely. Tiring." Hasher shrugged. "Non-mathematical words fail me. But basically…my mother isn't around anymore. She died when I was four due to unknown causes. Dad got up one day and she was just…gone. Want to know the worst part? She was pregnant. It was during the third semester, so they were able to take the baby out before it was too late, but she was mentally deformed. She…"

"Oh." Laura sat down next to him

On his bed, glancing around. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's not THAT bad. Actually, my little sister is still alive. But she has a learning disability that makes her stay with the knowledge of a four year-old for her entire life. She's turning twelve this year."

"May I meet her?"

"She doesn't live here. She lives at a rehab center, and there she'll stay until Dad decides he's ready to take her in."

"How long do you think that is?"

"Probably once she doesn't look so much like Mom, so, like, never."

"I'm sorry."

"Eh. In two years I'll be taking her into MY house, just because. Maybe one day we'll be able to understand why our families are so…broken.

"Yeah…" Laura mused, "maybe." They stared at each other for a long moment, beginning to move in…

"Nope!" Laura shuffled away, laughing nervously.

"Gaah! We are just FRIENDS. Strictly NOT boyfriend/girlfriend!" Hasher shyly chuckled, looking away awkwardly.

"Yeah…"

"Dude…"

"Hash, dinner!" A strong voice called up the stairs. "Bring your friend, too."

"Comin' Dad!" Hasher shouted back, then gestured to Laura. "It's leftover night."

"Cool. What leftovers?"

"Spaghetti, fish, enchiladas, fish, seafood, did I already say fish?, and probably a few tuna sandwiches."

"The last one doesn't sound like leftovers."

"It isn't." Hasher told Laura as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Dad just likes them with leftovers." Hasher turned the corner to the living/dinning room, murmuring quietly. "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh?" Laura whispered back, curious. "What's 'uh-oh'?"

"My grandma." Hasher hissed back, then waved at a purple skinned, purple and magenta haired woman. "Hi, Krolia!"

"Hasher." She nodded back, smiling gently. She stuck out her arm, blinking kindly at Laura. "You're his friend, right?"

"Yes." Laura, who studied Galra culture, took Krolia's arm by the elbow, as was custom. "I'm Laura, Ms…?"

"None of that stuff." Krolia sniffed. "Just call me Krolia, Laura."

"Krolia lives with us." Hasher told Laura.

"For half the year." Krolia added.

"For half the year." Hasher's father echoed, eyeing Laura warily.

"For half the year." Hasher repeated dully. "Laura, this is my father, Keith."

Laura arched an eyebrow, curious. "My brother's middle name is Keith."

"It's Mr. Kogane to you." Mr. Kogane snapped, staring down at her spitefully.

"Right. Right. Mr. Kogane. Sorry." Laura nodded. "My apologies."

Mr. Kogane frowned angrily at her, sitting down with a thump. "So, Laura, what do you plan to do with your life?"

"I don't know." Laura admitted. "I don't have anything really planned, but I do study every subject I can, including the ability to speak fluently in Japanese, Altean, Galran, and Italian as well as English. I'm working on French, Spanish, and the Olkarion language, but it's kinda slow. I think I may be an international guide, as I also study history, or a police officer, like my Dad. That way I can help almost any citizen, regardless of the species or nationality."

"That's interesting." Krolia seemed intent with listening to Laura, arching a brow. "You could also be a business woman."

"Numbers aren't really my forte." Laura said, serving herself up some spaghetti and salmon. "I'm more of a 'words' person. In this day and age, people need to be able to speak different languages or have a translator to speak to aliens."

"Most actually know English, which happens to be the universal language." Keith mused, dumping an entire fish, guts and all, onto his plate. "History, huh? Where are you at?"

"I'm currently studying the history of the Galra. I'm at the beginning of Zarkon's reign."

There was dead silence in the house, the two grown-ups staring crossly at a very confused Laura.

"Hoo boy." Hasher murmured, burying his face in his hands. This was going to end poorly.


	6. Chapter 5

Kitty was having a GOOD day. Then again, every day was a good day when she spent it here, surrounding by the clicking machines, the smells of cookie and cake dough being mixed and baked, and, of course, the cleaning of dishes. Yes, Goldy Kitty Garret simply LOVED cleaning dishes. She loved taking something dirty, spoiled, RUINED and scrubbing them until they were pure and clean. Then she would dry them and put them in the cabinet where they could meet friends just like them! Finally, they would be taken out to hold food and be put in front of an eager guest, and they could watch the visitor get the full enjoyment of the meal up close. Kitty was always jealous of the dishes that got picked for that reason. The other dishes, who sat at the bottom of the drawer and were never taken out except to check for cobwebs, Kitty pitied them. Sometimes, she put them on top so that they were chosen. Her friend, Finn, kept telling them that they weren't alive beings, but she knew better. The plates were actually a kind of soft rock that came from the Balmera, so that her mother felt more at home when she was here, on Earth, and so very, very far from her home…creature. A tiny bit of the Balmera's soul was in each plate, and Kitty enjoyed speaking to them. Sometimes she wondered if plates were the only friends worth having…

Kitty raised her head as the door open, another guest taking a seat in the corner. Grabbing a notepad, she neared her. "Hi!" Kitty greeted the visitor. "I'm Kitty, and I'll be taking your order."

"Kitty…?" The guest mused, tucking some of her blue hair behind her ear. "Hmm. Clever. Well, Kitty, it's a pleasure. May I speak to your father?"

"Say the magic word!" Kitty smiled, giving the lady her most playful, cute, yet pleading look.

"Abra-ca-dab-ra." The lady frowned.

"Na-uh." Kitty shook her head. "I'm pretty sure that was four words. Not one."

"Hocus-pocus."

"That's still more then one…" Kitty was confused. Usually they got it right away.

"Just get your father, please." The lady snorted, turning her face away from Kitty.

"Ah! There we go! You said it!"

"Hmm? What?" The woman asked, turning back in surprise.

"I'm going to get Daddy!" Kitty grinned, bounding away.

Moments later, Kitty found her father as he poured some sugar into a vat of cookie dough. "Dad!"

Her father didn't answer until he finished counting out the scoops, then he turned to her. "Yes, my darling?"

"There's a lady here to speak with you."

"Yeah? What does she look like?" Her father began putting brown sugar into a measuring cup, which, strangely, was the measurement of a cup. He compacted the sugar, giving Kitty a glance as she began to speak.

"She had blue hair, which I thought was cool, and blue skin, which I thought was odd, and she had SUNGLASSES! They was so adorable!"

"How much hair did she have?" Her father asked, pouring the compacted brown sugar into the mixer.

"Um…she had a lock of blue hair on her left, and the rest of her hair was drawn back into a pony tail. Oh! And she had these little horns that were really cute. I've never seen her species before, though…Dad, do you know?"

"Yeah, yeah. Take over the bakery for now, okay, kiddo?" Her father pulled off his 'officer's apron' and put the neck strap around his daughter's neck, hurrying out of the bakery.

"Hmm." Kitty mused, then peaked into the bowl he had been putting ingredients in. "Okay. Hey! Joslin!" She called, summoning her twenty-year old cousin.

"Yeah, yeah?" Joslin asked, hurrying into the room.

"You can take a break from getting orders to finish these cookies. I'll finish taking orders for you."

"Yeah, okay!" Joslin smiled, then turned back to the cookies, next adding in four eggs.

Kitty grinned back at her, taking a peek across the dining area to her father, who sat next to the lady. They were talking in low voices, the lady showing him a data pad and murmuring into his ear.

Kitty frowned, curious, then, she quickly reminded herself that a good waitress NEVER frowns. She turned to a small table of…one, two, three…eleven. Hoo, boy. This was going to take a while. She was surprised when it took no more then five minutes, and she sped over to put the orders onto the spinny-wheely-thingy. (She never bothered to ask what it was called.)

As she turned around, she saw that her father was now talking to her mother, who was frowning in concern.

"Luckily," he was saying as Kitty drew closer. "It's a simple mission, so they only need a few of us. I should be back within a few days."

"Hmm." Her mother responded, then saw Kitty. "Hello, Kitty."

"Where's Daddy going?" Kitty asked, frowning at her father.

"He…um…" Her mother glanced over at her father sadly, sighing. "He's going on a trip of business."

"Yeah. I'll be fine, Kitty."

"You've never went on a business trip before." Kitty mused, blinking. "This is good, right?"

"Um." Her father nodded. "Y-yeah. It is. But it's also kinda dangerous, and I'm not supposed to go into detail. Shay," he said, turning to his mother. He handed her a small device shaped like a square with blue, white, and grey features. "If I'm not back in a week, call the others."

"I understand your words." Shay nodded, hugging him. "Stay safe."

"I will." He gulped, hugging Kitty next. "I'm going now."

"Don't you have to pack?" Kitty inquired.

"There's no time." He sighed, resting a hand on Kitty's head. "Goodbye, sweetheart."

"Have fun!" Kitty smiled.

"I'll try." He smiled kindly, though there was a faraway look in his face. "I…I love you girls."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Paladin." The blue lady, who stood nearby, waved to him. "We need to leave. Puig might not have long."

"Right, right." Her father hurried out after them, disappearing out the door.

"He will return shortly." Shay murmured, as if to convince herself rather then her confuzzled daughter.


	7. Chapter 6

Laura glanced at Hasher, his face buried in his hands, then she glanced inquiringly at the two grownups.

"What'd I say?" She asked, looking at their furious faces.

"Zarkon." Krolia said in a low voice, her face shaped into a glare. "Is a very touchy subject for us Galra. It reminds us of the hundreds upon thousands of planets that fell at our fingertips for ten thousand years, just because we were greedy."

Mr. Kogane rose to his feet, glaring at her. "Zarkon nearly triumphed in his quest for power, until rebels and the Blade of Marmora banded together and defeated him, his son, and heir."

"What of Honerva?" Laura retorted, crossing her arms. "I don't need to study history to know that all the rebels fail to capture her. I don't even need to listen to fairy tails or nursery rhymes to know that not even the make-believe stories with Voltron to know that they don't all have happy endings."

"Actually, Voltron could possibly be real. Most grownups have seen it…" Hasher mumbled, knowing this wasn't the best time.

"Oh? Where's your photographic proof, then? Voltron was just a story made-up to explain why Earth was saved within a few measly quintents."

"There hasn't been any photographic proof because of the traumatic experience of being captured by the Galra!" Mr. Kogane growled. "Actually, I have seek pictures put on the Internet, but the government has taken them down."

"Aha! Why did the government take them down?" Laura grinned, crossing her arms. "Therefore it didn't happen."

"The government took down all evidence of 9/11." Krolia pointed out, frowning. "And that really happened."

Laura rolled her eyes. "That occurred more then three-hundred years ago. It doesn't count. I'm talking about NOW."

"The government hides many things from us." Mr. Kogane murmured, shaking his head. "All we have are things we've seen with our own eyes."

"I heard that the Galaxy Garrison is working on recreating Voltron, because the old one vanished with its Paladins!" Hasher chimed in, doing his best to change off the subject.

"But the government canceled the project." Krolia reminded her grandson.

"Boom! They're hiding something." Keith smiled. "Voltron is real."

Laura just snorted in response, picking at her food. "I don't believe it."

"Why?" Keith grunted. "Didn't your parents ever watch the news when they were younger?"

"I'll have you know nowadays, they ARE the news. And yeah, they say it might be real, but they're letting my brother and I decided what we think. And I think it's fake."

"What does your brother think?" Asked Krolia curiously.

"Real." Laura rolled her eyes for the second time in as many minutes.

"So he's smart." Keith grunted.

"No!" Laura protested. "He's an idiot. He literally has lost five of his fingers. One from using a blender on mashed-potatoes, one from a laser gun that he shouldn't have been messing with, one from a science experiment he probably shouldn't have been touching, and two from a squirrel attack. He also lost a toe because a daddy longlegs bit him, and he thought he was poisoned, so he amputated himself."

"Wow. Your brother is an idiot." Hasher mumbled. "If I were you, I'd be thankful that you guys never hang out."

"Those are big words coming from you." Laura sniffed. "You know, because-"

"Yeesh! Okay, I get it!" Hasher hissed. "Never mind!" He grumbled, leaning on his fist as he finished up his fish.

Laura snorted, stuffing the last mouthful of spaghetti into her mouth.

"Okay. Ready to go, Laura?" Hasher asking, standing up.

"Yeah. Let's go." Laura stood up, following Hasher out the door.

"I'm sorry." Hasher told her, climbing onto his speeder. "I didn't realize Gram-gram was going to be here tonight. Dad acts big and tough around her because he's trying to live up to her. And…I should've told you not to mention Zarkon. He, and his son, have killed off a lot of my family."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's not your fault. You didn't know." Hasher sighed. "Anyway, let's take you home."


	8. Chapter 7

Finn walked with his father back to the car, a backpack thrown over his shoulder. "Thank the ancients that's over with." He mused, practically collapsing against the wall.

"Why? Didn't like shooting?" His father inquiringly, grinning down at Finn. "Maybe you aren't my son after all…"

"No, it's not that…" Finn sunk lower against the wall. "I loved shooting. But it was tiresome, you know? How do you do it so often?"

"You get used to it. Besides, your mother helps me a lot. I can focus all my time getting ready to the part while she takes care of everything else."

Finn nodded, smiling gently. "Maybe one day I can find a woman like that…"

"They are few and far between." Lance admitted, strolling down the sidewalk slowly so that Finn could lean heavily on him. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time when I met your mother."

"Oh."

"Honestly, one of my buddies from fifteen years ago got a really good one. Don't let your mother hear me say this; but the girl was the whole package. Smart, adorable, quick on her feet, quiet, and ready for action."

"Isn't Mom all those things?"

"Not quiet, per-say…" Lance joked. "Heh. But, yeah…your mom's amazing. Plus, she knows alchemy! That girl knew nothing of the sort. I would never trade your mother for any other person."

Finn practically collapsed into the back seat of his father's minivan, exhausted. The first day of shooting was done… he would have to be there every Saturday and Wednesday…but, finally, he was done. He felt accomplished, and happy, and proud…

He had finally accomplished his goal of becoming a movie star like his father…or, more or less one, and he was satisfied with his work.

"Dinner should be ready by the time we get home." His father said, turning on the car. "I kinda wish they could use an entire costume for King Lubos rather then makeup galore. Good thing the clothes aren't make-up, too…you have it easy, Finn."

"Yeah, but the Blue Paladin has more lines then King Lubos."

"You can call him by his name." His father told him, turning into the street nearest by the house.

"What IS his name?"

"That's the thing." His father's voice lowered to a spooky low. "Nobody knows. The government changed all of the names of the Paladins, supposedly so that they could hide in plain sight. The government SAYS that the names of the a Paladins were Pike, Abigail, Tom, Rosalie, Hector, Kelly, Kenneth, Pidge, and Carl."

"They were all humans?!"

"Uh, NO. Those are just the names the government gave them. There were four aliens and one half-blood."

"Like in Percy Jackson?!" Finn grinned, raising his eyebrows.

"No." His dad rolled his eyes. "Not like in Percy Jackson. I'm still mad at your mother for letting you read it."

Finn smiled weakly. "It's a good book series."

His father just grunted "Yeah, yeah."

The rest of the trip was taken in silence, Finn staring out the window, his father with his eyes on the road.

When they eventually got to the house, Finn was dozing off. The sudden stopping of the car jerked him from his sleep, and he started in surprise.

"Hmm." His father glanced at the driveway curiously. "That's weird."

"What's weird?" Finn asked, leaning forward eagerly to see what the problem was. A large ship was parked in the driveway, taking up most of the space before them.

Lance was barely able to squeeze the minivan into part of the driveway, before clambering out. He gazed up at the wing, and spat out a few words that Finn was strictly prohibited from saying.

He entered the house, narrowing his eyes as he walked into the living room, where his wife sat, balancing a cup of tea as a Goliath of a woman sat opposite her, taking up half the couch.

"Ah!" The woman grinned a hideous smile. "There you are. Nice to see you again, Lance."

"Yeah." Lance responded evenly, glancing at Finn. "Um…how long has it been, Zethrid? Um…twe-twelve years?"

"Twelve deca-phoebs!" Zethrid roared, rising to her feet.

"What are you doing here? We agreed to all go out separate ways."

"Haggar has a different say in the matter." Zethrid's voice lowered to a small growl. "Puig is under the largest attack in recorded time. I'm afraid it has nearly fallen."

Finn's mother rose to her feet, frowning uncertainly. "Finn, go to your room. This is a topic for the grown-ups…"

"Allura." Lance mused, looking at his offspring again. "I think…I think he's ready."

"I don't believe-"

"The kid should stay." The woman interrupted, pointing at Finn. "He could prove useful."

"Useful-? Dad, what's going on?" Finn looked around the room, very confused. "What's a 'Puig'?"

Zethrid patted the seat next to her as she slumped back down, looking at Finn. "Let me explain…"


	9. Chapter 8

Kitty started suddenly, the dishes in her hands clattering into the sink loudly.

"Oh!" She cried, fumbling in her pocket for her phone, which had sounded the alarm. "I'm so sorry, Mabel and Trenton…" she frowned at the plates, pressing the pick-up button.

"Hello! Garret Bakeries, how may I help you?"

"Kitty!" Finn's voice rattled her entire, chubby body. "I need you, ASAP. Meet me at Mice Mt, okay?"

"Um…" Kitty thrust her hands back into the sink, holding the phone between her cheek bone and shoulder. "…why the sudden meeting? Daddy kinda put me in charge of the bakery with Mom while he's out on a week-long business trip…so I can't be on leave for another…" Kitty sighed, closing her eyes. "…three dozen deca-phoebs."

"What? Thirty-six YEARS?!"

"Ha, ha! Got ya, F!"

"It's Finn."

"I know! That's why it's funny! Anyway, give me half a varga, and I'll be done with my shift."

"Okay. Se you there."

"Bye!"

Kitty hung up, finishing with the plates as she dried her hands.

* * *

Shon frowned at the mashed potatoes, curious. Weren't they supposed to be…well, white? Not brown?

His iPhone rang, and he jumped a foot high, eyes wide. "Gaah! Oh." He put the phone to his ear, grinning. "'Ello, fellow!"

"Hello, jello!" Came in the immediate response.

"Finn, my buddy, my man!" Shon greeted him when he recognized his best friend's code response. "Hey, quick question, aren't mashed potatoes supposed to be white?"

"Yeah…? I think…"

"How do you like…do that? It's brown."

"Crush a garlic above the pot. I think."

"Do I put it in the bowl afterwards?"

"Yep! Anyway, can you meet me at the camping sight in half a varga?"

"Yep, yeah, whatever. Let me ask Dad. HEY! DAAAAAD!" He called, taking the phone from his mouth.

"Yeah?" His father called back.

"Can I meet up with Finn?"

"Don't overexert yourself!" His father responded. "But okay. Remember your electric pulse!"

Shon fidgeted with his metal wrist band, nodding. "Right. Yeah, Finn, I can come."

"Meet you there. And grab your hot sister and the nerd, m'kay?"

"Laura's coming too, okay, Dad?"

"Make sure she's back by nine!" His father called back.

"Should I be back by then, too?"

"Stay out for as long as you want, but, remember, it's a school night!"

Yes! He once again was overlooked and hardly reminded of the dangers of the outside world. "Yeah, I can bring Laura and Hash. Well, maybe Hasher. We'll see!"

"Okay. See ya there!" Finn said. "I'm being Vince, too…so, yeah."

"Okay!"

* * *

Laura slipped off off the hover bike, nodding at Hasher.

"Thanks." She said, giving him a gentle salute.

Hasher grinned and planted a hand to his chest. "Vrepit Sa."

Laura chuckled, shaking her head. "Vrepit Sa."

Hasher was about to head off when Shon came charging onto the bike, somehow tumbling onto it within seconds. "Ha, ha! Hop on, Laura."

Hasher gave Laura a sideways look, somehow doing so without pupils.

"I have no idea what's going on." Laura deadpanned, shrugging helplessly.

"Um." Shon patted the seat behind him. "Finn wants all three of us! He has something to tell us!"

Laura and Hasher exchanged a look, both groaning.

"Fine." Hasher gave in, dipping his head to his chest. "Get in, Laura. Where is this 'Finn'?"

"I'll guide you there!" Shon whooped, pumping a fist.

"Oh. Yeah. I'm gonna be guided by the immature fourteen year-old." Hasher sarcastically cheered as Laura climbed on board the speeder again, rolling her eyes.

"I'm glad you're okay with it!" Shon smiled, patting him on his back, the sarcasm lost on him.

Hasher sighed, driving down the road as he stared forward bluntly.


	10. Chapter 9

Finn awaited the others to arrive patiently. He glanced at his brother, Vince. Vince, too, had no idea who, or what, his parents were. He had been sent to his room at the time of Acxa's visit and hadn't been there at the all-important conversation.

He had invited all the others for reasons of his own;

Kitty; a good friend. His oldest friend, even. According to his parents, her father had been the only Paladin to stay in contact with them throughout the twelve-year silence between them.

Shon; Shon was his best friend, despite having only moved to town a few weeks back. He needed a friend in all of this.

Laura; Laura was hot.

Hasher; Hasher, despite being annoying, was still a good person. Besides, he had lived in this town longer then the other four children.

Vince; Vince was his brother. He couldn't NOT invite him. Also, Vince hadn't met Shon yet. That was a big uh-oh.

"Finn, what are we doing here?" Vince asked, looking up at his big brother questionably.

"Waiting."

"Yeah. But why are we waiting for your friends? What's so important about here?"

"It's a secret."

"I hate secrets." Vince grumbled as a car lumbered into view. "Isn't that Kitty's car?"

"Her uncle's." Finn corrected.

The door opened, and Kitty hopped out. "Thanks, Uncle Rax!" Kitty waved to her uncle.

Her uncle just grunted, remotely closing the door before driving off.

Kitty grinned, skipping over to them. "Hey, guys! What's going on?"

"I'll explain as soon as the others arrive." Finn assured her, kindly placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Others?" Kitty frowned. "What others?"

"Shon, Laura, and the nerd."

"Ooh, the nerd." Kitty scowled doubtfully. "Why the nerd?"

"Dunno. I just felt like I should invite him."

"But he's a nerd!"

"Yeah, don't like it anymore then you, but, ya know."

At that moment, a red speeder drove up, Hasher at the helm.

Laura jumped off before it completely stopped, breaking into a roll upon impact with the ground. She stopped a few meters from the three waiting kids. She sprang to her feet, saluting.

"Finn. Kid. Girl."

"Vince." Vince corrected her, frustrated with being called 'kid'.

"Kitty." Kitty introduced herself.

"Hi!" Finn blushed, waving.

"Shut it, Finn." Laura sniffed, brushing past him as she gazed out over the cliffs. "Huh. Nice view."

"Yeah. I know."

"What are we doing here, Finn?" Asked Hasher, hopping down expertly.

With that, Finn dived head-into the information that his parents and Acxa had in-trusted him with.

* * *

"Takashi." Katlyn called, taking off her headphones and holding one of them close to her ear. "Remember that signal that interrupted broadcasting earlier today?"

"Yeah." Takashi responded, leaning close so that he, too, could hear the noise that arose from the headphone.

"I found a way to amplify it. It's still hazy, but more clear."

"Play it."

His wife nodded curtly, pressing the play button. Static filtered from the speaker, then a voice arose, old and tired.

"-aladins of Volt-on. Hagg-r is att-ki-g plan-t Puig. Yo-r assistance is requir-d."

"Uh-oh." Takashi hummed, frowning. "Do you think the others have picked up on it? Maybe Hunk found a way to expand the signal."

"I doubt it. Last I heard, he was running a seven-days-a-week bakery. Keith, however, has Galran hearing."

"He's never been a TV-guy. He prefers to read."

"Are you saying that Allura and Lance are maybe the only people who actually would have listened?"

"Possibly. I doubt Lance would look into it, though. We don't know where they live anymore, either. Last I heard, they lived near Varadero Beach. They could have moved, though." Takashi growled.

"Wait…" Katlyn hurriedly pulled up Google, typing in hurriedly 'Lance McClain'. "That should do it."

ERROR the screen chimed. GALAXY GARRISON HAS BLOCKED THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE INSERT PASSWORD

"Shoot." Katlyn hissed. "And it's against the law to hack into it."

"When has that ever stopped you?"

"Since we had children." Katlyn hissed. "If I could, I would, but I don't want CPS coming again."

Takashi snorted with laughter, leaning over her shoulder. "Why don't we put in your former password? You know, for being a cadet and Paladin at the Garrison?"

"I could try." Katlyn quickly typed in her password, but the computer rejected it. "Quiznak. What if you put in your password? You are a senior officer."

Takashi typed in his own code, but the computer blocked him out, too.

"Hmm. I wonder what happened that they blocked out."

"Okay. How about…'Allura McClain'?"

ERROR

GALAXY GARRISON HAS BLOCKED THIS INFORMATION.

PLEASE INSERT PASSWORD

"Quiznak." Katlyn cursed again.

"Where is your lion?" Takashi asked, curious.

"South America." Katlyn reminded him.

"Okay. You better summon the Green Lion here so that we can here out as soon as possible." Takashi decided.

"Understood." Katlyn signed out of her computer, began to stand, then froze. "What about the kids?"

"We can write them a note."

"Shon will forget to recharge his wrist band, much less wear it."

"Laura'll take care of that. Anyway, let's go."

With that, both started out of the office door.


	11. Chapter 10

"Wow." Hasher blinked. "I wish MY Dad was a Paladin."

"Ha, ha! Told you that Voltron is real!" Shon cheered.

"Our parents are awesome." Vince gapped.

"Dad's a Paladin!" Kitty cheered, not realizing that the whole 'Paladin' thing could be putting his life in danger.

Laura was silent as her brain put together the facts.

Finn frowned at their reactions, realizing how stupid their reactions were. Except Laura. She was too cute to have a bad reaction. "It's pretty weird, but it's true." Finn assured them. "And I can prove it. Kitty, your father took the Yellow Lion into space, right?"

"I dunno!" Kitty grinned, bouncing on her heels.

"From what I heard, Mom and Dad took the Red Lion into space." Finn nodded, pretending that Kitty's response was a 'yes'. "So that leaves the Blue Lion, since we don't know where the Black and Green Lions are."

"I can rig something up that can track the three of them!" Hasher instantly volunteered. "I've been studying something called a Fraunhofer line, which shows the emission spectrum of an element! Maybe, if you're tellin' the truth about the lions, I can use it to track 'em down!"

"No need. The Blue Lion's here." Finn stomped his foot, and everyone looked down.

"The Lions underneath us?" Shon was agast.

"Um, this lion isn't Blue." Kitty sniffed, miffed. "It's kinda a tan-harvest gold-antique brass-taupe mix. Maybe a smidgen of khaki is in there, too. So basically a tan-harvest gold-antique brass-taupe-khaki lion! I still don't see how this resembles a lion though…"

"No! Underneath the rock!" Finn face-palmed.

"That'll take a lot of digging and sculpting to make a lion out of this…" Kitty hummed, hesitant.

"Oh, for-" Finn moaned, gesturing to them. "Just follow me."

"Finn, this is dumb." Laura suddenly stated, following him despite her doubts. "It's just gonna end up in a goose chase to nowhere."

"Knowhere?" Finn frowned, joking around. "But Nowhere is very far out in space, and it sucks."

"Not 'Knowhere' from Marvel." Laura glared, rolling her eyes. "I meant like, no place. Not on the map, not from any media. Like, in the middle of just a random place on Earth that means nothing."

"I know. I was kidding. I swear, my parents wouldn't lie about something this wild."

"They lied about being Paladins." Laura murmured, then, realizing her error, corrected herself. "I mean, I'm not saying THEY lied about this, I'm saying…we only moved in a month ago, and you and Shon have only been friends for a few weeks. How do I know YOU'RE not lying?"

"You don't." Finn realized, frowning. "Just…trust me, all right?"

"Just this once." Laura told him, narrowing his eyes. "But if you're lying, I'll never speak to you again, and I'll tell my parents that you're a bad influence on Shon and that you make him overextend himself."

"Understood. I swear, you can trust me." Finn promised, holding out his pinky before realizing cool kids like Laura probably didn't do pinky promises and taking his finger back. "If not, it's because of my parents lying to me."

Laura pulled out a heavy, black book out of seemingly nowhere and placed his right hand on it. "Swear it. Swear you're telling the truth."

"Why do you have a Bible on you?" Finn blinked, surprised.

"I take it everywhere. Now, swear it."

"Where do you keep it? You have no bags on you, certainly not a backpack, and your pockets are normal sized-"

"We're in a Fanfiction. Anything can happen. Now, swear it."

"We're in a…what?!"

"Just swear upon the Bible!" Laura ordered, glaring frostily at him.

"Whatever." Finn put his hand upon it. "If the Blue Lion is inexistent, it is because my parents lied, and not me."

"Good." Laura put it behind her, and it vanished.

Finn suspected she had an invisibility backpack.

"What were you two doing up there?" Hasher inquired as Laura fell back.

"Oh, I just threatened him if he was lying about the lion." Laura shrugged. "Just a little chitchat."

"Um. Okay." Hasher nodded, and Finn wondered if the nerd was jealous.

After several minutes of walking, Shon looked at his watch. "Are we there yet? Where are we going?"

"Calm down. Remember that Earthquake?"

"Duh! It just happened last night!"

"I think it was the Blue Lion growling or something. I'm looking for a cave somewhere around here to find it."

"Like that?" Laura was pointing at a large cluster of cliffs surrounding a hole half hidden by them.

"Yes! Exactly! Good job, Laura!" Finn whooped.

Laura grunted.

"Alright, to the cave!" Finn grinned, pointing straight ahead. "ReadySetGo!"

Needless to say, Laura beat all of them there as if there was nothing to it. She wasn't the coolest girl in school for nothing.

"What are all of these carvings?" She asked when they caught up, running her fingers over the rough edges. "Who made them, I wonder?"

"Native Americans!" Shon suggested. "I mean, if you're still a non-believer…Native Americans are your best bet."

"But these words are English. Most are Altean…and Galran…the most recent are Galran and Eniglish, a mix of both in each tale."

"What do they say?" Finn asked, glancing at her.

"The Blue Lion: a mighty warrior with a love as gentle and beautiful as a creek, a wrath like a typhoon, and a patience like a lake. Her sadness pours like a river, dripping like rain over the fields…The Blue Lion, Guardian Spirit of the Water. Then it just cuts to a legend."

"What about that one?" Hasher asked, pointing to one that was purely Galran.

"It says that she was a woman of beauty, a lady of great renown. And then it continues into a story again, slightly different from the last one."

Finn ran his hand over the edges of one carving curiously. "What abo-?"

Suddenly the cave was filled with a blue light, Kitty letting out a help as everyone else just gasped.

"Magic!" Vince clapped, grinning excitedly.

"Magic doesn't-!" Laura began, but then the ground disappeared from beneath them and they were free-falling.

They hit a right slide, water spraying up from all angles around them, and then the ground vanished again and they were suddenly lying in a shallow pool of water. Well, five of them were laying in it. Laura had managed to land on her feet.

"Woah." Laura was also the first to recover, murmuring her surprise. "Guys…"

Finn raised his head, gapping. "Woah."

"That is so cool!" Kitty giggled. "Now THAT'S a Blue Lion!"

"Holy Crow. The energy waves coming off of this are amazing." Hasher blinked, holding his phone. "They're messing with my bars."

"This can't be happening." Laura groaned.

"Wow! I can't believe Mom used to fly this!" Vince gapped, springing to his feet.

"I love this town." Shon grinned from cheek to cheek, everyone walking forward as one.

"Does anybody get the feeling that it's watching them?" Finn asked swerving from side to side.

"No." Laura responded immediately, really REALLY wanting to wake up from this dream.

"Yeah. It's eyes are totally following me." Finn grumbled, finally stopping in his dizzying path.

"I wonder how you get through this." Shon pondered, jogging up to the Lion as he put his hands on the force field surrounding it.

"As my Dad would say; 'Maybe you just have to knock'!" Finn grinned, rapping three times of the barrier.

Instantly it disintegrated, falling to the ground and disappearing, as if it had never been.

"I can not believe that worked." Laura grumped, frozen in the process of resting her head in her hands. "This is definitely a dream. A really weird dream…Um…Dear God, please let this be a dream. Let me wake up and this whole thing isn't happening. Let this be completely fake…let this be a trick…please, God, please…"

The Lion roared, ducking his head. Everyone flinched except for Laura, who was still deep in prayer, and Finn, who stared up at the lion in shock as it opened up his mouth to him.

"Guys. Should we go in?" He asked, turning to face the others, a pleased smile on his face.

"Oh, quiznaking ruggle." Hasher let out a deep breath in shock. "Just as I was starting to doubt it…here it is. I can not believe it…"

"Oh, let this be a dream, Lord, please…" Laura begged, squeezing her eyes shut, pure panic setting in.

Kitty mumbled three scared noises, that sounded an awful lot like three mice squeaks.

Vince just bounded up to Finn, grabbing his older brother's arm as he tried to pull him inside.

Shon, however, was the first inside, excitedly gesturing to them. "Guys! Guys! Guys! Let's GO!"

That got Finn's full attention, and he rushed up the stairs, dragging Vince behind him. "Dibs on the pilot seat!"

"Laura? You okay?" Hasher asked, pausing to look at her curiously.

"Uh-huh. I'm fine." Laura nodded, taking a deep breath. "It's just…ugh, never mind. Let's just go." She stomped into the lion, Hasher scampering after her on all fours.

Inside the cockpit, Finn sat, staring at the dials.

"I have no idea what I'm doin'." He stared blankly, staring down at the knobs and buttons and switches laid out on the dashboard before him. "I'm just sittin' here, doin' nothin'."

"Are you canceling out all your 'g' s on purpose?" Laura asked, looking at him sideways as she reached for a dial.

"No touchy!" Finn slapped away her hand. "This is basically my Mom's, so don't touch it! And yes, I am."

"Okay. Good. Anyway, where to, Captain McClain?"

"First of all, it's 'Finn'. Captain McClain was my great-grandfather. Second of all, wherever Blue wants to go. My parents say they can talk mentally or something…"

"Let's test that theory…" Laura reached out to flip a switch, but Finn slapped away her hand.

"Stop. For all I know, none of us even HAVE a bond to this lion!" Finn grunted, leaning back in frustration.

With that, the screens flickered on, and a gentle hum filled Finn's head.

"Oh." He whispered, grabbing the controls.

"What? What's going on-?" Kitty began, confused, when the lion suddenly charged forward, crashing through the rocks and sending the cliffs crumbling down around the entrance.

Finn let out a terrified cry, but he knew, deep in his heart, that Blue had accepting him as her future Paladin.


	12. Chapter 11

**I have decided. The Lions will be referred to as females, because of their lack of mains, except for the Black Lion. Each pride has a male lion, who's basically the leader, so it's Black. Also, in the early designs, he had a main.**

 **Stuff made like /this/ means the lion is speaking.**

* * *

Keith jumped, a roar sounding in the back of his mind, pushed as far back as he could make it go. But, despite being so quiet, it was still a sound he hadn't heard for over a decade.

"Oh, what is it, Black?" He demanded, standing abruptly as he scowled at the air.

/Blue was awakened!/ Black responded, his voice distressed.

"What?"

Keith ran from the room, to his porch as he gazed out over the desert. Sure enough, he could see a shape moving, getting closer…closer…and closer still. Suddenly it swept over his head, Keith clearly recognizing the Blue Lion's underside, and he hissed, rushing for the house.

Arriving in the bathroom, he pulled the shower to the side, revealing a trapdoor that led to the basement.

Keith opened it, jumping down and landing easily on his feet.

Something he had never told anyone, not even his wife when she was alive, and not his mother, and certainly not his son or daughter, but the basement entry way was actually the opening into the Black Lion at the top of the head, between the ears. It also made it an excellent bomb shelter. As soon as he hopped into it, he called out his lion's name, and the consoles around him flickered to life. Keith sat down in the chair, allowing it to scoot him forward so that he could be at the front of the cockpit.

"Open communications with the Blue Lion." He ordered, sitting as straight as he could.

/Done, my Paladin./

"Hailing Blue Lion, please stand down." He spoke into the coms, fists clenching.

Silence greeted his keen ears.

"Blue Lion, stand down."

More silence.

Keith decided to get personal. "Allura, stand down. Are you forsaking our agreement?"

There was a rustling in the background of the coms, but nobody responded.

"Allura, unless if you stand down, I will use force." Keith snarled, slamming one fist onto the armrest. "Allura, last warning."

/Blue has not backed down!/ Black wailed, her misery leaking into Keith's mind. /Blue is letting her pilot make the decisions, and the pilot has decided not to stop! The pilot is not Blue's Paladin!/

"What?" Keith activated the Black Lion fully, making his lion roll to the side, out from underneath his house, before asking her to break from the dirt and rock that encompassed her. "Black, use force on the lion. Take her down!"

/Understood, my Paladin/

The Black Lion took to the skies, chasing the Blue Lion as it narrowly avoided a stone arch, managing to 'thread the needle'. Keith expertly gained speed, furious that the Blue Lion managed to stay a few steps ahead of him as he flew over a rock pillar.

Suddenly, Blue tilted up, the hind thrusters flaring, and she headed into space.

Keith growled, tilting up the Black Lion in response. He was rusty, he admitted in a small corner of his mind, but that wouldn't stop him from catching up to them.

Urging his lion on, he broke the atmosphere just a few second after the Blue Lion did.

"Alright, Black, turn on the live communications."

/Yes, my Paladin./ There was a pause for a few ticks, then the Lion spoke again. /My Paladin…?/

"What?"

/If I do this, the intruders will be able to hear you, too./

"I. Don't. Care." Keith huffed, crossing his arms. Then, realizing his mistake, uncrossed them and placed them back on the controls. "Just do it."

"-y glasses! Someone catch my glasses!" Was that…Hasher?

"I think I'm gonna barf!" A girl wailed.

"I wanna go hoooooome!" A boy voice cried. "I don't want to fly this Lion anymore!"

"Why is the Black Lion still chasing us?" A slightly older, male voice pondered. "Did we do something wrong?"

"I just wanna go home!" The youngest male of all three he had heard sobbed.

"Oh, quit whining, you three." A female voice, filled with authority, snapped.

"Yeah, Laura? I'd like to see you handle suddenly having it thrown in your faces that Voltron is real, being shoved into a Blue Lion, shipped off the planet, and then have a Black Lion chases us!" The oldest male screamed.

"That IS what happened to me!"

Silence.

"Oh, yeah."

"Hailing Blue Lion." Keith began, and, instantly, all voices cut short. "I know you can hear me. I am about to use extreme force to being you down. If you wish to restrain such behavior, I would advise standing down."

"Like Quiznak we are!" The first male voice he had heard, that wasn't Hasher, screamed, and the Blue Lion's engines turned on again, and she blasted further into space.

Keith swore loudly, knowing full well that they could still hear him. They might as well know what kind of guy he was.

"Dude!" The older female screamed, her voice raising. "Language!"

Keith hissed, ignoring the fact that his son might be on the Lion as he shoved on the mega thrusters, turning off the live communication.

* * *

Hi! Hasher here again. By this point you probably realize that we're caught up to the point where my story began. You know…us all crammed into a Blue Lion's cockpit and me scrambling to get my glasses?

Rest assured, I got my glasses.

But, I know I just told you to rest, but please don't. The glasses were the least of my problems.

The Black Lion is gaining. That's another problem.

My main problem is that I'm pretty sure my Dad is the one chasing us. I am SO grounded.

The ground rumbled beneath our feet as the Blue Lion narrowly missed an asteroid. Ah, quiznakin' ruggle. We were gonna die if Finn's piloting skills didn't approve instantly.

"Finnnnnnnnnnn!" Vince wailed, clinging to his older brother's neck. "You're gonna kill us!"

It was true.

"Finn, I swear, if you don't pull up right away, I'm going to-!" Laura screeched.

"Calm down! We're going to be fine!" Finn protested, offering her a positive grin, despite all of us could clearly see the tears of fear streaking down his face. "I'll get us out of here!" He winked.

Was he hitting on Laura? I was gonna kill him, if my Dad didn't first kill me! Or if Dad first killed Finn. Or both.

"Finn!" Kitty groaned, clutching the chair as her face turned a lime-green. "Can you make this thing go any steadier?"

"Relax, Kitty." Finn teased. "It's not like I did-"

Laura covered his mouth, eyes flashing. "Don't. You. Dare."

"Um…guys?" I inquired, watching the monitors on the dash. "Mainly, Finn. Did you parents leave the planet before we left?"

"Hmm? Oh, naw. They were gonna leave with Hunk tomorrow; they were just prepin' their lions."

"So they were near they lions?"

"Yep." Finn confirmed my suspicions. "Why?"

I pointed to the screen, biting the inside of my lip. "It looks like all the other lions are chasing us…and the green and red ones are gaining."

"Oh, great." Laura grumbled. "This is just perfect."

"We're gonna die!" Vince wailed.

Kitty barfed.

"I'm grounded." I deadpanned.

"We're gonna die!" Vince wailed.

"I'm sorry!" Finn cried as the Red Lion, which was practically on top of us, dug it's claws into the Blue Lion's armor, pulling us to a stand still as the other lions surrounded us. "I don't want to get in trouble!"

"I just wanted to have fun!" Shon cried.

Seriously, they're all, like, teenagers or tweens and they're wailing like babies. What's wrong with them?

Suddenly, four screens appeared on the dashboard.

The first was my father, wearing his casual clothes, but his face was like stone, eyebrows narrowed.

The second was of the movie star Lance McClain, arms crossed. Allura McClain, his wife, stood to the side, but she was still in the camera shot, both glaring.

Hunk Garret, owner of the most popular bakery in town. I'd been going for several years, ever since Dad gave me his hover bike. He looked stern, an expression that did not belong on his face.

Finally, Katlyn Shirogane's face appeared, bearing the look of a furious, overburdened mother. As if I'd know what that looked like. Takashi Shirogane was also in the frame, eyebrows drawn together in a snarl.

Our parents.

We were so dead.


	13. Chapter 12

"I can't believe it." Katlyn Blerble Shirogane, top scientist of the Galaxy Garrison, head chief of Shirogane Productions, director of the Holt Company, and current Green Paladin, the left arm of Voltron, was pacing restlessly, her eyebrows drawn together. Everyone's eyes were on her, the adults included.

"First, you leave the house to go in the middle of the desert without our permission-"

"Finn and Vince had my permission to go out." Lance Charles McClain, Actor of the Year three years running, current Red Paladin, right arm of Voltron, and former Blue Paladin, right leg of Voltron, shrugged, leaning back against the chair as he crossed his legs.

"I'm fine with whatever Lance wants." Allura McClain, house keeper and current Blue Paladin, right leg of Voltron, said, cocking her head.

"Hasher's fine with coming and going as he pleases." Keith Akira Kogane, coach of Chad High School for thirteen years now, current Black Paladin, head and body of Voltron, and former Red Paladin, right arm of Voltron, grunted, shrugging.

"Kitty has my respect and trust." Hunk Thomas Garret, head cook of Garret Bakery, director of Garret Bakery, Boss of Garret Bakery, half of the other possible staff member positions of Garret Bakery, and current Yellow Paladin, left leg of Voltron, told them.

"Fine. Laura, Shon, you went out without OUR permission," Katlyn gestured to her husband, then back to herself.

"I actually gave them permission." Takashi Shirogane, better known as Shiro, was one of the dozen head chiefs of the Galaxy Garrison, police chief, and former Black Paladin, head and body of Voltron, current Captain of the battle cruiser ATLAS, admitted quietly, not really wanting to deal with his wife's wrath.

"Okay. FINE." Kaltlyn grumbled, pointing to herself. "MY permission. Second, you-"

"YOUR permission?" Laura snapped, rising to her full height, half a head taller then her mother, somehow managing to keep her face neutral.

"Oh, snap." Lance and Hunk murmured simultaneously as Shon awkwardly ducked his head.

Laura ignored them, still staring her mother down. "I'm sick of this! You don't give two craps about-"

"-language-" Takashi interrupted.

"-our daily lives! You don't give two craps about-"

"-what'd I just tell you, Laura?-"

"-me! All you care about is that SHON is pampered! Immature, naïve SHON! I've done EVERYTHING to try to earn your respect, but does any of had matter? NO! As soon as I make one step out of line, you break down on me, and I'm sick of this kind of quiznaking-"

"-Laura-" Takashi warned again.

"-life! Maybe Voltron is a good thing! Maybe it's good thing my entire life is a lie! Maybe…maybe it's okay…" Laura was still burning off steam as she thumped onto the chair again, her expression still calm, unchanging.

Katlyn was looking at her in such a way that made all the grownups, who were familiar with how she was fifteen years ago, and Takashi, who knew she was exactly the same, look away, whistling.

"You ungrateful-!" Katlyn hollered, and everyone covered their ears.

"Honey." Takashi knew all to well that his wife was about to unleash all the rotten substitute swears she knew upon her daughter, and rose up to his OWN full height, two feet above his wife's own head. "Language."

"Whoever knew," Lance mumbled to Hunk, not really wanting to get in the way of this. (He was the only one who was enjoying watching this show.) "That a girl who loves her family so much would end up so hateful towards her own daughter."

Katlyn, not hearing his words, glared up at Takashi, before taking her seat next to his left angrily.

"Next." She was obviously trying to keep her cool as she glared at the six children. "You stole the Blue Lion from the center of a desert, and didn't stop when Keith hailed you. You never got our permission to travel off-planet!"

"Okay. There she was a point." Hunk admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Hate to admit it, but she does."

"I'm sorry." Shon murmured, looking at his hands. "It was just…it's the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me. And…I guess the best thing that's ever going to happen to me. 'Cause We'll probably all be sent to Earth to stay with Uncle Matt and Aunt Olia."

"Auntie Cass." Kitty murmured.

"Cousin Chris." Finn and Vince realized at the same time.

"Gram-gram." Hasher gulped.

"It'd be an interesting development for you all to come into space, following in our footsteps." Allura admitted, taking the options into consideration.

"Shon…you know that you can easily overextend yourself. We're just trying to keep you safe." Katlyn told him, taking his right hand in between her fists.

"Wait…what do you mean…?" Keith asked, standing.

"Yeah." Laura raised her eyes to stare at him straight on. "He apparently can overextend himself really easily. I don't know why, but he can."

"He inherited your disease?!" Keith suddenly glared, spinning to face Takashi. "You never even told me?! Told US?!"

"We…were already split apart by the time we learned." Shiro murmured, ducking his head.

"What? Shon has a disease…? That means…he's on a time clock! How long does he have?"

"Two decades, at most…" Katlyn murmured, ducking her head in embarrassment.

"Wait…Dad, you had this-?!"

"Yes." Shiro sighed, looking at his hands.

"Then you found a cure, or else you'd be dead!" Laura rose to her feet, eyes widening. "Give it to him!"

"No!" Katlyn arose, too, staring at her worriedly. "It doesn't work like that."

"We can make it work!"

"It far exceeds anything we can comprehend!" Allura roared, standing.

"It's not that simple!" Hunk told her, raising his voice, too.

"It makes no sense!" Keith informed them, crossing his arms.

"The cure might as well not exist!" Lance screeched.

"It was destroyed with every other awful thing Haggar made!" Katlyn boomed.

"Then tell me! I can take it!" Laura screamed.

"It's too dangerous to preform on anyone!"

"It never should have been created!"

"The entire operation went into flames!"

"The cure is now useless!"

"So Shon is doomed, is that it?!" Laura now stood in the middle of the room, her eyes blazing. "All I want is to save his life. Why won't you just tell me how?"

Everyone was heaving for breath, staring at her, concerned.

"It's…the entire way we could cure him is destroyed." Katlyn admitted, bowing her head.

"It was all my fault." Keith muttered, turning his back on them so no one could see the tears that rolled down his cheeks.

"Laura. If it's gone…I mean, I'm fine!" Shon grinned spreading out his arms in a weak shrugging gesture. "I'll be able to…ya know…survive. For another decade at least…"

"Wait…Shon's gonna die?" Kitty inquired, widening her eyes in shock.

"My best friend's on the verge of dying?" Finn gapped, clenching his fists.

"Dude." Hasher shrugged, but didn't finish his thought.

"The truth is, Laura, Shon, that…" Takashi began before his wife cut him off.

"Are you sure? They're nothing but kids."

"You were only a little older when YOU began defending the universe."

"That's not what I meant. Are you sure you want to tell…them? Right now?" Katlyn inquired, gesturing to her two children. "In front of their friends?"

"Yeah." Keith turned around, having whipped his eyes clean. "I mean, it's your decision, but…they're, what, thirteen?"

"Fourteen." Laura interrupted, crossing her arms.

"Yeah. Whatever. Fourteen. But I mean…like, they're already mad at you, this might…I dunno…" Keith shook his head. "Sorry."

Shiro ignored the interruptions, trying to keep a straight face. "The truth is, kids, I'm a clone."

Stunned silence wrapped around the room, everyone in a daze.

Hasher's ear were pressed flat against his head, his blank, yellow eyes wide with disbelief.

Finn and Vince stared into the distance, their faces stupefied.

Kitty was nodding, as if she understood exactly what they were saying. Gradually, her nods grew slower and slower as she took time to think.

Laura and Shon only stared at their father, faces paling.

Out of all of them, Hasher was the first to recover.

"Wow! A clone? I'd love to run tests to see how that works, and I-!" He broke himself off when he caught Keith's eye, instantly sinking into himself.

Laura was the second one to speak. "So. Not only are our lives a lie, they're FAKE too?! Who gave you two permission to have kids?!"

"It doesn't work like that-" Katlyn began, probably about to jump into an explanation about what kind of responsibility having kids called for, but Laura cut her off.

"Wait, then where's out REAL Dad?"

"I'm-" Takashi began, not exactly understanding why his daughter was suddenly so talkative. That was usually Shon…

"Wow, so does that mean there's a bunch of other clones out there that are all basically your twin brothers?!" Shon piped up, not realizing how strange this conversation really was.

Keith spluttered out a flurry of coughs, wrapping in a 'they're dead' in the middle of them.

Shon didn't take the hint. "If there's hundreds of them, that means a few of them probably don't have names, right? I'll name them…DakotaCraigLoganJohnNolanKarlPadenJaredDanielBooneJamesTalonCurtisOrrinStrattonBuzz-LightyearJaredChadandMartin."

"Shon, hold on-" Lance began, just wanting the kid to shut up.

"Oh, and of course they'll be StonePhillipJeremiahDavidKelly-have-I-already-said-Jared? They'll be Zeke-"

"-Zeke-?" Keith mumbled, his face crumpling in disgust.

"-RexRustyLighting-McQueenTrenton-!"

"SHON." Katlyn interrupted, and he stopped abruptly.

"…and…and Jared?" Shon inquired, meekly smiling in an adorable fashion.

"They're dead." Keith repeated his hint, more clearly this time, before following it up with a dark mutter. "The 'lab', if you can even call it that, blew up. So I'm pretty sure they're all dead."

"It's true." Shiro admitted, sighing. "Keith and I were the only survivors in that whole mess."

Kitty suddenly realized what they were saying. "Oh! A CLONE not a PHONE! That makes much more sense!" Then, after a few moments of happy silence, everything fully hit her. "Wait, or did you say DRONE?"


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's note; Veronica is married in this.**

* * *

"Wait," Laura hummed, still puzzled. "I'm still confused. How were you able to pull everything off? Go into hiding?"

"Well, first of all, we hid all the evidence." Allura told them, holding out one finger as she thought. "The Red Lion went to Mount St. Helens, an active volcano. The Blue Lion, well, you obviously found the Blue Lion just fine. The other lions…" Allura hesitated, not clear on where the other three lions were hidden.

"Africa." Hunk informed her.

"South America." Katlyn deadpanned.

"Under my house."

Everyone turned to look as Keith, who only stared back, uncaring.

"Hmm." Allura hummed. "And the Atlas?" She inquired, pointing at the former Black Paladin.

"Kerberos." Shiro admitted, ducking his head in embarrassment.

"Dude. You have it bad." Hunk sighed, shaking his head.

Keith swore. The children were getting uncomfortable in his presence.

"Are you serious?!" Lance laughed, cracking a smile.

"Hey, it was Katie's idea!" Shiro defended himself, holding up his hands.

"What's a 'Kerberos'?" Allura asked her husband, who gave her a sheepish grin.

"Kerberos is one of Pluto's moons. It was where everything began." Hunk told her, whipping a tear of joy from his eye. "Where the Holts and Shiro were captured by the Galra. You guys ain't sly." He accused the Shiroganes, both of whom shrugged.

"Katlyn's idea." Shiro repeated, pointed at his wife, blinking in innocence.

"Hey-! That's not fair-! Stop-!" Katlyn protested, rising to her feet.

"It was, wasn't it?" Shiro smirked.

"Well…yeah…" Katlyn admitted, collapsing back into the chair. "It was funny, though, wasn't it?"

"Back to the topic, how where you able to cover everything up?!" Laura inquired, her hands squeezing the arm rests on her chair so hard that they dented under the pressure.

"The Galaxy Garrison helped a lot." Lance admitted. "They serfed the web, going as far as to hack into people's phones, to delete all footage out there. Of course, everyone remembered Voltron, but, our good friend Ina thought up a plot, and made a hologram of Voltron, claiming that the legendary giant was made for the sake of distracting foes. Also, since everyone also remembered five brave heroes who stood up against tyranny, the MFEs, Ryan Kinkade, Ina Leifsdottir-"

"Actually, it's Ina Griffen now-"

"-James Griffen, and Nadia Rizavi volunteered to take the credit, along with my sister, Veronica Comb."

"Hmm…" Laura pursed her lips. "What made you want to give it all away? To leave each other?"

"It was, honestly, for all of you." Hunk admitted, staring at his daughter warmly. "We wanted you all to have normal lives, so we agreed to separate, not to see each other again. Now it was up to the MFEs to take our place, and we didn't have to unite again."

"Well, guess what?" Laura grunted. "It didn't take, because we're here now."

"I guess so." Shiro sighed, staring at his hands. "How did you all end up in Tuscon anyway?" He asked, arching a brow.

"Well, it was a few months after the agreement." Allura began, pursing her lips. "Hunk and Lance were childhood friends, perhaps closer then Lance and I were at the time. The two were so curious if the other were okay, that our families found a way to communicate, to meet up again. It just kinda…stuck. After Hollywood shut down, we got an opportunity to preform in the studio at Tuscon, so we came down. Keith?"

"Never left." Keith grunted.

"We came down because the Garrison was nearby." Shiro announced, putting his hand over Katlyn's. "I needed to be able to be there for Shon, but I couldn't if I was away for weeks at a time in another state."

"Interesting that we all made it to Tuscon." Katlyn mused, glancing around the circle. "Well, not Keith. He doesn't count."

"Hmm." Keith grunted.

"I would have thought many people would have recognized you." Laura mused, looking at them. "I mean, you all literally wear the color of your lions! Except for you, Allura. You wear pink. But still!"

"Well, the Garrison was very creative about that." Katlyn beamed, looking like everything was her idea. Nobody would be surprised if it actually was her idea. "They gave the so-called-Paladins, more of Ina's holograms, different looks, for one. They actually took random pictures of strangers on the street, and then changed the details slightly and gave the pictures to Ina to use as models. Then, they proceeded to give them all different names. Pike for Lance, Abigail for Allura, Tom for Shiro here, Rosalie for Romelle, Hector for Hunk, Kelly for Krolia, Kenneth for Keith, Pidge for me, of course, and Carl for Coran. Oh, speaking of Romelle, how's that going, Keith?"

"Coran?" Hasher interrupted, not waiting for his father to answer, fumbling around in his pockets. "That sounds like the AI that Dad gave me for my thirteenth birthday." He held up a grey, circular disk with fancy designs coming off of it. It looked a awful lot like a hologram plate from Star Wars. Hasher turned it on, and a green man, about as tall as a grown-man's forearm, appeared from the disk. He let out a string of gibberish, blinking as he toyed with his mustache.

"My stars!" Pidge gaped, but, as everyone had to stoop down to look at the AI, she walked right up, without having to move from her level, look him right in the eye, and say "Coran!"

The mustached man stopped letting out a string of gibberish, staring at her in surprise. Then he spoke again, but nobody could understand it, save Pidge and her daughter.

"Why is he speaking in Altean?"

Pidge asked, frowning at Hasher in worry. "When he speaks to us, he usually uses English."

"Broken." Hasher told her, sighing as he flipped off the AI. "I've already tried to fix him, but everything blew up in my face."

"Well, turns out that the Black Lion actually acts as an excellent bomb shelter." Keith shrugged, and everyone turned to face him in exasperation.

"How did you get Coran's AI? He died fifteen years ago!" Pidge inquired when she turned back from the Black Paladin.

"He was a gift from my late mother." Hasher told Pidge, burying the disk into his pocket.

"Wait-! Late…" Shiro turned to Keith with a shocked expression.

"Wait, no she's not." Lance gapped. "We saw her just-"

Keith felt lucky that Lance was sitting next to him, because he covered his mouth easily. "She's not here anymore." He hissed, glaring at everyone in turn. "ROMELLE is dead."

They all got the hint.

Hasher's mouth dropped, staring at Lance. "Wait, what? When did you see-? No, no! She's dead! Isn't she?"

Keith shot Lance a look that said 'Now look what you've done!'

Hasher still looked confused, but everyone managed to take his mind off it as they continued talking.

"So, let me get this straight…this is Finn?" Pidge asked, looking the young boy over. "When last I set eyes upon him he was eight pounds, seven ounces! How he's grown!"

"And I suppose this is Laura?" Allura regarded the teenager, a slight smile on her lips. "She was only about a year old when I last saw her."

"Shon just a bit older." Lance joked, draping an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Why is the kid wearing my old jacket?" Keith asked, frowning down in displeasure at Shon.

Shon frowned at him, wrinkling his nose. "YOUR jacket? Ew…"

"That's right. Want to know why it's red?"

"That's enough." Shiro interrupted, drawing himself to his full height. "So, all of us are going to go save planet Puig, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Then we should bring the Atlas. We need to head back to Earth and pick up the crew."

"Right." Everyone nodded collectively.

"Alright." Shiro tossed Lance a phone. "Call up your sister. Katie, your father. Also, it looks like you'll have to call off your dinner with the president tomorrow."

Lance was already dialing, but Pidge still managed to beat him in calling her assigned call. "Hello? Yes, may I speak to Sam Holt?…I'm his daughter! I have full clearance to speak to him whenever I like.…hmm?…mhmm…Well, I bet he won't be happy when I tell him you made me wait.…That's what I thought."

"Yay. Hey, sis. How's Danny and Chip? Hmm…hey, we're getting the band back together! No, I mean like the team. Not an actual band. I would not invite you if it were a band…I've heard you on the piano before, and no thank you!…eh. Who cares? Anyway, think you can contact the Griffins and Nadia? No, Nadia Rizavi…yeah, and can you ask her to contact Ryan? Yep, Ryan Kinkade."

"So…Keith, Romelle is dead?" Shiro asked as the two arms of Voltron continued chattering on the phone.

"Yeah. Don't know how. Died in her sleep."

"I'm sorry for your loss…how's your relationship with Acxa?"

"We've only been talking on the phone for the past thirteen years. During the Hanukkah days only, though. On the twenty-fifth of December we video-chat."

"Ah. Does…um…" Shiro gestured over to Hasher.

"No." Keith narrowed his eyes. "Now I would be…" he paused to think of the proper word. Finally he forced out "…happy if we kept it that way."

"Alright." Shiro nodded, thinking.

At that moment, Lance hang up. "Dude! We're getting the band back together!"

Pidge put her hand against the receiver, telling whoever was on the other end to 'please hold'. "Lance, this is serious. If Haggar is attacking one planet, she'll probably attack more. Or she'll disappear again for several years. We can't afford that. Sorry for the interruption. When should I call back to speak to Admiral Holt?…mmm…alright. One hour." Pidge checked her watch, setting a timer. She hung up the phone with a "Thank you, Ms. Iverson."

All of the older generation glanced at her.

Pidge sighed. "Martha is Mitch's daughter. Been my father's secretary for over six years now. She drives me insane." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why couldn't Ina be his secretary? She'd have fun doing it."

"Alright. When do we grab Veronica?" Shiro asked, ignoring his wife.

"Whenever we like. She says that she has to bring her family with her, whether we like it or not."

"Did she mention the Griffins?"

"Oh, yeah, they live next door, and she was going to go visit them once I hang up, so she can ask then."

"Ryan?"

"MIA." Lance frowned sadly. "He disappeared off of the map several months back, and word has it only his girlfriend knows where he is."

"Speaking of which, how is Nadia?"

"Well, she still works at the Garrison." Lance responded. proudly. Since his sister was on a team with the four MFEs, he knew what all of them were doing. "She's still the woman who mostly does the test flights, though in her free time she studies to be a nurse."

"Ah." Shiro nodded awkwardly, then glancing at the children. "What should we…you know…them?"

"Eh." Keith shrugged. "Let 'em come."

"What?!" Allura, Lance, and Pidge all yelled at the same time.

"Kitty's too young to be kicked in the middle of a battle!" Hunk wailed, hugging his daughter protectively.

"Shon's not ready! I can't have him over extending himself." Pidge rebuffed, snarling. "Besides, I can't risk Laura causing trouble."

"Aww!" Shon complained.

"What makes you think I'm a problem child?!" Laura hissed, whipping to face her mother. "It's not like you care!"

This time, Pidge ignored her.

"Finn and Vince are hardly old enough to face the world, much less see a war!" Lance complained, stepping up to his two children. "Heck, even Pidge was older then them!"

"Ouch." Pidge grunted.

"It's only one battle. If they can't handle it, we'll send them back." Keith comforted them. "Besides, have you seen Laura in the gym?"

Was that…pride in his voice?

"I…suppose…if they stay on the Atlas the entire time…" Pidge said slowly. "They can come…"

"What?" Hasher groaned. "What if you need to go to the bathroom, fall and break your leg, we're attacked, and I have to save the day?"

Lance sighed sadly, shaking his head. "He truly was raised by Romelle, no matter how short amount of time it was."


	15. Chapter 14

"Ah, the Atlas." Pidge drew her fingers over the walls of the ship, smiling as she heaved a sigh of relief.

"It's been so long…" a Lance murmured, switching on the lights, blinking in the sudden stream of white.

Shiro ran his metal fingers lovingly over the control panel, smiling fondly at it. "It has been." He agreed, lighting up all the displays by resting his human hand on a handprint.

"I wonder if the teledove is still operational." Allura voiced her thoughts, strolling over to a raised platform. Two pillars raised from the ground, and she set her fingers elegantly on them. They alit with a blue hue, and she giggled. "They do!"

"Ah, man. This is just like old times." Hunk grinned, squeezing into the engineer seat. "Yep. I couldn't fit into this seat even then."

Keith grunted.

"So…this the sky carrier?" Laura asked, running her hands over the back of a seat.

Hasher adjusted his glasses, pursing his lips. "Actually, I think it's the 'Atlas'."

Laura gave him a look that made him feel stupid. "You don't study Greek mythology, do you?"

"No…" Hasher frowned.

"I've read about it." Finn grinned, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Atlas was a guy who-"

Laura grabbed his arm, swinging him over her head and crashing him into the ground. "Yeah, I really do not want to talk about it with you." She grunted, ignoring the stares of shock she received.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Pidge asked, staring open mouthed at her daughter.

Laura didn't respond, crossing her arms and leaning against the door. She grunted.

Keith grunted back.

She grunted again.

Keith narrowed his eyes and grunted.

She grunted louder.

He grunted.

She snarled.

He grunted.

Evidently, Keith won the grumpy noise sound effects contest, because Laura stopped grunting at him.

Pidge blinked at them, still slightly miffed at the abilities she hadn't known her daughter possessed, then turned to Shiro. "We should probably bring Matt along with us. He'll kill us if we leave him behind."

"He won't leave behind his family either." Lance joked, arching an eyebrow. "We all know Veronica's coming with her children and husband, your father and mother will both come, Matt and Olia will obviously be bringing their children, we still need to pick up Larmina, Ina is heavily pregnant…basically, every single one of our kids are coming. Whether we like it or not. Besides, I'll bet that these guys are ready for some kind of adventure in their lives."

Laura grunted in response.

"It's a fact." Hasher agreed.

"Man, I'm so excited!" Vince whooped.

"Ow." Finn muttered, still on his place on the floor.

"Yippee! I'll be able to see kitties!" Kitty whooped.

"Wait a moment." Laura blinked. "You didn't happen to name Kitty…well, Kitty because of the lions?"

"Her…um…full name is Goldy Kitty Garret…" Hunk buried his face in his hands as the grownups exploded into laughs, Kitty joining them despite not understanding.

"Dude." Hasher sighed, shaking his head. "You pretty much named your daughter Yellow Lion."

Keith grunted.

"Yeah…I'm sorry, it was just priceless!" Hunk wailed pitifully.

"Like hiding the Atlas on Kerberos?" Pidge arched a brow, hardly able to get breathes in through her rasping.

"Yes! The references!" Hunk grinned, giving the smallest Paladin a high-five.

Keith grunted.

"Hey, we can't bring the Atlas down to earth without drawing a lot of attention to ourselves…" Lance pointed out, pursing his lips. "Should we take the Green Lion? Or one of the spare Galra fighters onboard? The MFEs?"

"Number one; The Green Lion's cloaking was having a glitch when we quit, and I obviously have not had time to fix it." Pidge rolled her eyes at him pointedly. "It's probably gotten worse in thirteen years. Two; what, even? Three; heck no. None of us can pilot them. Except for maybe Keith."

Keith grunted.

"No, I think you all misunderstand." Lance spread out his hands wide, beaming at everyone. "Galra traffic is normal nowadays. A fighter is now just a means for transportation. All kinds of species pilot them now. Heck, Acxa piloted a Galra fighter to talk to us, and nobody even looked at her funny."

Keith stiffened at Acxa's name, but only grunted when Hasher cast him a look.

"Oh, I forgot…we also have to bring Matt. No exceptions." Pidge told them, pressing the phone to her ear.

"He has children, Pidge." Shiro pointed out.

"So do we! Heck, Allura and Lance have a ten year-old!"

"Eleven." Vince corrected.

"We also have a three year old, who we need to pick up." Allura murmured.

"Yeah! Exactly! So Matt can come."

"Uh-"

"Nope! And if you have a problem with Matt bringing children, then you should have a problem with us bringing children; especially Shon! Also, if you have a problem with us bringing children, then you have a problem with Keith." Pidge pointed to the Black Paladin.

Keith grunted.

"I will full heartedly agree to the last part." Lance beamed. "Not the other two."

Keith grunted.


	16. Chapter 15

**Alright. Time to get serious. I stole GriffTalon's ships and OC children. Yes. Seriously.**

 **YES. SERIOUSLY.**

 **Fine. Okay, I asked.**

 **So. No. Not seriously.**

* * *

Lumi did a cartwheel over to the door, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her paws. Well, rather paw. Her left foot was a prosthetic that resembled a human leg more then a Caneen's. But, what the heck. Her father was a scientist.

She hesitated for a second, tilting her head as she sniffed the air. Not ten ticks earlier someone had knocked on the door, and she was curious to find out who it was.

Wait…she knew that smell…

The knock came more rapidly.

Knock, knock, knock-knock-knock.

She knew that knock…

Lumi threw open the door, happily beaming at the four people in front of her. "Auntie Katie! Uncle Takashi! Shon, Laura! Hello! I didn't know you were coming over today."

"Hi, Lumi!" Shon waved, then, elaborating a deep bow, said "Madame."

Lumi bowed back, giggling with excitement. "Madame."

"How has it been, Lumi?" Uncle Takashi asked, ruffling the fur on the top of her head.

"Outstanding! Dad recently taught me how to build and unbuilt my leg; I can do it in three hours!"

"Congratulations!" Uncle Takashi beamed down at her, slipping her some of her favorite candy, yogurt pretzels.

"Aw! Thank you! Why are you guys here? What's going on?"

"Where's Matt?" Aunt Katie asked, brushing past her to the living room, collapsing on the brown couches. (Yes, they knew that brown was an ugly color, but what the Quiznak. Then, when the Caneens shed fur it didn't show up on the couches.)

"In his lab. He taught me how to build and rebuild my leg!" Lumi pointed, sticking it out in front of her.

"That will prove effective in the future." Laura nodded, taking a seat, somewhat timidly, next to her mother.

"Can you get Matt?" Aunt Katie asked, crossing her arms. "We're in a hurry.

"Yep!" Lumi gave them a double thumbs up, skipping away. She headed into the kitchen, to a hall, last door to the right, and, forgetting to knock, swung it open. "Dad!"

"Agh!" Her father whipped around in surprise, tripping on a partly built machine. "Lumi!" He blinked, using his old, metal staff to push himself to his feet. "What is it?"

"Uncle Takashi and Aunt Katie are here!"

"Oh, holy-" Her father huffed under his breath. "Alright. Make sure Katie doesn't get her hands on any equipment, alright?" Matt looked down at his white t-shirt and black pants, both visibly dirty from grease and oil. "I'm gonna change. Tell them I'll be out in a moment."

"Yessir!" Lumi saluted playfully, then headed over to the living room, plopping down onto the couch opposite the entire Shirogane family.

"So, where's Uncle Matt?" Shon asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"He's just getting changed. Should be out in a moment." Lumi assured them, smiling at them in anticipation. "So…this was a surprise visit! What's the occasion?"

"Hmm." Laura tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Besides SUDDENLY finding out that our parents apparently defend the entire universe, nothing much."

"Oooh." Lumi nodded thoughtfully, thinking. "I suddenly see why you never make jokes. No offense, Laura, but that was a really bad joke. It would be awesome though."

Aunt Katie sighed, loudly. "I really don't want to have to explain this entire thing again to a kid."

"You volunteered Matt." Uncle Takashi reminded her.

"Volunteered him for what?" Lumi asked, very curious.

"Please." Aunt Katie begged. "Let's not say anything else until Matt gets here. Lumi, would you mind getting your mother, too?"

"I don't think she'd like to be interrupted. She's hunting."

"In the natural reserve again? That's not allowed." Laura blinked, tilting her head.

"Well…yeah. But she says she's a rebellious person, and that she can do what she wants now that the Galra are defeated."

"Well, get her anyway. This is important." Aunt Pidge ordered.

* * *

"Let me get this straight." Nadia Rizavi said, crossing her arms as she blinked at the McClains. "Voltron is reforming? Didn't you guys say that you were retiring? Like, forever?"

"Mm." Allura confirmed, rocking Larmina, who they had picked up recently, in her arms. "Yes. We did. Now, however, we must reform, or risk Puig falling, and Haggar began conquering again. Please, Nadia, we need the MFEs again. We need you, we need Ryan."

"I refuse. Ryan's away on a mission, I wouldn't interrupt him even if I wanted to."

"Please." Lance begged, staring at her pleadingly. "The fate of the universe rests in your hands."

"No!" Nadia protested, standing defensively. "I'm not going to let you wreak our perfect relationship! We were just settling down; you can't just throw us in the middle of another war!"

"Ms. Rizavi," Finn said, lifting his head to look at her. "You're not the only one with a boyfriend and with a hopeful future. On Puig, there are thousands of couples, dozens who are waiting to be married. If you don't do this, they won't ever get the future they want. Mr. Kinkade won't stop loving you if you two get thrown into a war. If you want, you don't have to join us for the entire thing. Just for a single battle. Then we can wormhole back here, and leave you and Kinkade to your lives."

Vince blinked at his older brother, slightly jealous. Their parents were staring at Finn as though he was an angel from heaven, the very symbol of perfection.

Meanwhile, Nadia was looking at him with shock, a slightly thoughtful look crossing her face. "You'll really do that? For me?"

Finn ignored his mother's slightly hesitant expression. "We would, but only if you fight in this battle and help us liberate Puig."

Rizavi sat down, considering him. She looked at Allura, her face motherly, dressed in the blue Paladin armor, (the actual blue color, not pink) and at Lance, clad in the Red Paladin armor (actually red), his face stoic as one arm was wrapped around his wife, and the other around his two sons. Finn, his face collected, though there was a slight divot between his eyebrows that showed his worry. Vince was fidgeting uneasily, though hope was flooding his face. Larmina was looking at Nadia in confusion.

"I really hate diplomacy." Nadia grunted, holding her phone to her ear. "I'm calling Ryan and telling him to get back here. Pick me up in an hour, m'kay?"

"Alright." Allura agreed, standing.

"Thank you, Nadia." Lance thanked her, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah." She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm sure you have other people to talk to."

"Yeah, we should get going." Lance agreed, helping Allura to her feet. "Thanks again, Nadia."

"Mmm." Nadia responded, tilting her head as she waited for a response on the other end.

It wasn't until they were out of the house that Lance grabbed Finn and spun him around. "Great job, Finn!"

"That was some great diplomacy." Allura marveled, setting down Larmina so that she could walk to the Galra shuttle herself.

Keith waited inside it, ready to bring them to their next destination.

"We'll see if Keith'll allow us to get some ice cream and milkshakes." Lance decided, ruffling Finn's hair.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Vince asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, sure man." Finn said, a hint of pride in his voice. There was no place he'd rather be then here, with his family.


	17. Chapter 16

Hi. Hasher here again. This is the part of the story where things get more…personal. We had just dropped the McClains, Finn's family, at his aunt Veronica(AKA the coolest Mom ever, according to Dad)'s house.

Dad, where are we going?" I asked, leaning over Dad's shoulder. "What's going on?"

"I need to check up on something." Dad muttered, glancing out at the McClains climbing up the stairs to Veronica's house.

"Where are we going?" I repeated, looking at the coordinates and drawing a blank. "Dad?"

"The McMillan Motel. Allura provided me with some inside information that I'd rather not mention right now."

"Um…alright."

Dad nodded, starting up the Galra fighter and taking into the skies. "Hasher, try to sit back and relax."

I nodded, obeying Dad as he zipped as fast as he could over the city, finally landing in front of a motel.

"Stay here, Hash." Dad ordered, standing up and making his way to the back.

"But-! Wait, can't I come with you?"

"I'd rather not." Dad muttered.

"Please!" I begged, clasping my hands together.

"They'll be no beating up." Dad warned me, arching an eyebrow.

"Please!"

"Alright, but, for once in your life, be quiet and let me do the talking." Dad arched his eyebrow, staring at me. "Think you can do that?"

"Yessir!"

"Alright. Come along now."

Dad led straight up the steps to the apartments, finding a door that had the numbers 120 on it.

Knocking, we waited.

Then knocked once more.

"Just a moment!" An oddly familiar female voice called. "I'll be there in a minute."

"It's me, A." Dad called.

There was silence from the other end, then hurried footsteps. The door was pushed open, and I found myself staring at a women, all but one lock of hair pushed into a ponytail. She had donned a green shirt, and had two black horns atop her head that reminded me of four black bumps on my skull that my Dad insisted would turn into two when I got older. I usually brushed over them with a comb; had been my entire life. Her skin was also blue, and her eyes were glowing yellow.

"Keith." The woman gapped, voice full of surprise, then her eyes fell on me, and she frowned. "Why did you being him?"

"I'm sorry, Hasher refused to be left behind." Dad sighed. "May we come in?"

The woman looked at me questioningly. "Does he know?"

"He is if you keep on bringing it up." Dad sarcastically retorted.

"Good. Come in, both of you."

The women set us down on her couch then collapsed on the chair opposite us. "All right, Keith. Explain why you are here." She ordered, crossing her arms.

"Listen. We're re-forming the Voltron team again."

"Are you now?" The woman raised an eyebrow. "You know, I was the one who first collected Hunk and the McClains."

"Yes, I know. Please, Acxa. You're invaluable to the team, an-and to me. I'm not just asking-"

"-you're begging." Acxa finished with a sigh.

"Please."

"I don't know…"

"The Dancing and the Dreaming?" Dad suggested.

"You fight dirty." Acxa hissed, gazing at him, eyes full of love. "Fine. I'll come. Doesn't mean I like it."

"Kosmo?" Dad asked hopefully.

"Why do I think you asked me along for the dog's sake?"

"I love him, too!"

"I know. Here, Kosmo!"

Three. Four. Five.

In a flash of brilliant light, a dog was before us, stretching tiredly. He sniffed me, blinking softly at me in slight disappointment.

Then he looked at Dad, and his ears flipped up.

In the next millisecond he was on top of Dad, icking his face in enthusiasm, drooling.

"Yak! He's still super drool-y."

"It's not my fault he's like that!" Acxa protested. "You raised him from a pup!"

"How was I supposed to know that he was going to be a drooling dog?!"

"Can we get going?" I asked, annoyed. I was really sick of Dad flirting with this stranger. Really, really sick of it.


	18. (Finn)

**Author's Note; Happy Anniversary, GriffTalon! You da best!**

* * *

After two hours, the whole team was collected.

The team included;

Veronica Comb came, leaving her husband and children at home.

Keith Kogane came, as did his mother, Krolia, and his son, Hasher.

Katlyn "Pidge" Shirogane and Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane also came with the twins, their children, Shon and Laura. They also brought their cat, Ulaz.

Lance McClain and Allura McClain accompanied the growing group, bringing along their sons Finn and Vince and daughter Larmina.

Ina and James Griffen also came, a tiny bump beginning to grow under Ina's stomach.

Ryan Kinkade gladly came, too, with his fiancé, Nadia Rizavi.

Hunk Garrett came with his wife, Shay, and daughter, Kitty.

Acxa came with Kosmo, the dog bestowed upon her years earlier by Keith. Her…ex-boyfriend? It was still unclear.

Matt Holt came with his Caneen wife, Olia, and their three hybrid children, Vista, Mutt, and Lumi.

* * *

Finn gazed in amazement as Uncle Shiro, as he insisted to be called, positioned himself at the Atlas's helm, Matt taking the seat at the very front where the last remaining male Atlean 'Coran' once sat. Veronica sat between them to the left, while Acxa sat where a man they called 'Iverson' used to go.

Jealousy at his mother's masterful skills with 'alchemy' filmed Finn's stomach as she seated herself at the 'teledove' and opened a wormhole.

"Alright, everyone." Shiro turned, looking at the five Paladins and four MFEs. "I know this'll be our first battle back in action, and we're a bit rusty. MFEs, get to your ships, prepare to attack the Galra as soon as we make it through the wormhole. Paladins-"

"-we know. As soon as Allura's done with the teladove, we go to our lions and await your orders. It's the same every time." Not-uncle Keith, as he told them repeatedly, yawned.

Shiro arched an eyebrow at the man's sass. "Well, aren't you pleasant today."

Keith didn't grace that with a response.

"Hey, why don't they go to their lions now?" Finn suggested, blushig with embarrassment when everyone, even the youngest of the group, (Larmina) turned to face him. "Mom's been teaching me about Alchemy, I bet I could hold the wormhole long enough for us all to get through."

"It's more complicated then that." Allura sighed, shaking her head. "You have to be able to focus, in your mind's eye, on where you're heading. It takes so much energy, and-"

"So?" Finn shrugged, realizing with a horrible start that this was the first time he'd ever-and he meant EVER- disrespected his mother by interrupting her. "Sorry, but, I mean, I'm not doing anything important. I'm always full of energy. I could do with a little less."

"That's certainly true." Laura and Keith both grumbled at the same time.

"Hey." Finn pretended to be offended.

"Alright…I suppose you can try it. Finn, come here." Allura motioned for him to come over, placing his hands on the blue platforms, barely able to reach until they shrunk for size proportion. "Excellent. Now, think of Puig."

Finn concentrated hard, letting 'PuigPuigPuigPuig' dance in his mind.

The wormhole held.

When his mother removed her hands from his, it held.

"Alright, initiating Atlas transformation!" Shiro ordered, and the ship around them began to twist and groan.

 _PuigPuigPuigPuig_ Finn forced himself to continue thinking. _PuigPuigPuigPuig_

"Atlas transformation complete!" Veronica announced. "Entering wormhole now."

 _PuigPuigPuigPuig_ Finn thought harder, scrunching his eyes right. _What even was this 'Puig'?"_

 _No! Keep on thinking of Puig._

With a sudden jerk, the bumpy journey came to a halt.

Kitty; "That was…" she broke herself off to barf in a bag that had been cleverly hung up around each corner, for such emergencies. "So sorry."

"I'm just surprised it took this long." Lumi murmured, adjusting the flight cap holding back her fur/hair combination.

"Okay, kids."

Olia announced, scruffing Larmina(somehow) and grabbed Lumi by the scruff too.

"Hey!" Lumi went into the scruff position, hanging limply from Olia's jaws. "This is mutiny! Mutinyyyy!"

Olia rolled her eyes and continued walking, picking Mutt up by his scruff in her jaws, too.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." Mutt zoned out, staring into nothing.

Olia used one of her hind paws to push Vince onto her back, and she trailed out with the youngest two members, including her fifteen-year-old daughter and sixteen-year-old son.

"Hey! I wanted to scruff Mutt!" Vista complained, following her mother.

"MFEs, launch!" Shiro hovering hand whipped out, pointing.

Finn wondered if he knew that the MFEs couldn't see him. Or maybe they could, and there was just some hidden camera Finn couldn't see.

"Yessir!" James confirmed.

"Launching now." Rizavi responded, voice excited.

"Without Voltron, the chances of success are high. It would take two days with our four ships at least." Ina calculated.

"Mm." Kinkade grunted.

It was then that he focused his attention on Puig, and his breath caught. The top and and bottom seemed to be the only parts remaining, only still together thanks to think ice holding them in an oval-like shape.

"Huh." Finn grunted. "It must be ice to live there."

"Not currently, no." Shiro said, before seeming to realize that Finn had left out a 'n'. "Oh my gosh. You ARE your father's son."

"I am so sorry." Finn said immediately. "Sometimes things just pop out."

"Whatever." Laura mumbled.

"Just try to keep it in for now." Shiro pleaded, then turned to bark commands at the three command units waiting for his orders. "Veronica, how's the Atlas holding up after twenty years out of service?"

"It's holding up surprisingly well." Veronica informed him. "The only thing that's down is a few of the less powerful cannons."

"Try to keep them up and running. Acxa, train the ion cannon at the nearest Galra cruiser."

"Yessir." Acxa nodded, pressing a few buttons on her screen. Laura, seemingly hypnotized, went over to look at the screen. Acxa gave her a sideways glance, but didn't say anything.

"Matt, get as close to Puig as you can. Paladins, it's time to launch."

"Let's go." Keith's voice filtered through the coms, and, a minute later, the lions appeared on the screen, teaming together against a Galra cruiser.

Within moments the Galra ignored the planet and turned their attention completely on the lions, MFEs, and the Atlas.

"Shouldn't you form Voltron?" Hasher asked, sitting down at the engineer's seat, fingers flying over the buttons as he rebooted some old systems. Nobody was quite sure when he sat down, but nobody complained.

"We're rusty." Pidge yelled as an explosion rocked the Atlas. "We don't share our former mind-connection anymore, not after fourteen years."

"Well, do your best." Shiro ordered, glancing over at the kids. "You five should head down to Olia."

"What?!" Laura asked, outraged at being put down below with the-heaven forbid- CHILDREN.

"We want to help!" Shon pleaded.

"I am helping." Hasher grumbled, tapping on the self-repair system on the Atlas.

"What if something happens to you?" Kitty asked, clasping her hands together. "What if one of you has to go to the bathroom, you break your leg, they train all their fire power on us, and we have to save the day!?"

"That's not going to happen." Shiro sighed. "Just…"

"What if we need to activate a wormhole?" Finn asked, really, really not wanting to leave. This was where the fight was, after all!

"I don't have time to argue." Shiro growled, turning towards the helm. "Just try not to get in the way."


End file.
